The list of Grand Prix podium finishers in 2025 now includes Carlos Sainz, Jr. It still doesnt include the driver who replaced him at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton.

While Sainz was celebrating a third place for Williams that he called even better than his first in Formula 1 , Hamilton was saying he couldnt really care less about finishing eighth as his wait for a first top-three finish at Ferrari goes on.

Definitely disappointed to come away with nothing, Hamilton told Sky Sports after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix .

Hamilton could point to some progress after starting 12th on the grid but the overall mood was disappointment after Ferrari had led the way in Fridays second practice session, only to fall back into the middle of the pack. Teammate Charles Leclerc started 10th after a crash in qualifying and ended up ninth.

Honestly, I felt so good in the car and ultimately we went in the wrong direction with the car. But our ultimate pace in the race was just not on par with the guys up ahead of us, Hamilton said. It was so hard to overtake here today.

Hamiltons time at Ferrari started with promise after a win in the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix in March but a double disqualification for him and Leclerc the following day pointed to setup issues which Ferrari has struggled to solve.

Vindication for Sainz

For Sainz, who left Ferrari for uncertainty at a Williams team which hadnt been on the podium since 2021, his third place was a vindication of his new teams long-term plan to compete at the front of the pack again.

Sainz said it also showed he was standing out among the drivers who had to adapt to new teams for 2025, a category which also includes Hamilton.

I think out of everyone thats changed teams, which is not an easy task nowadays, Ive been very competitive from the first race, very quick, but I didnt have results with me, he said.

I didnt have results to prove to myself, the team, and everyone that some good things were about to come. But, in the end, they did.

___

AP auto racing:

2025年F1大奖赛领奖台车手名单现已包含小卡洛斯·塞恩斯，但仍未出现其法拉利车队继任者——刘易斯·汉密尔顿的名字。

当塞恩斯（Sainz）为威廉姆斯车队（Williams）获得季军而庆祝，并称这比他首次在F1登台"更令人欣喜"时，汉密尔顿（Hamilton）却表示对第八名的成绩"毫不在意"——他在法拉利车队（Ferrari）的首个前三名席位仍需等待。

汉密尔顿在阿塞拜疆大奖赛后对天空体育表示：“空手而归无疑令人失望。”

汉密尔顿从第12位发车后取得了一些进步，但整体氛围仍显失望——法拉利车队在周五第二节练习赛中领跑，却最终跌至中游位置。其队友夏尔·勒克莱尔因排位赛撞车从第10位起步，最终以第9名完赛。

汉密尔顿表示："说实话，我在赛车中的感觉非常好，但最终我们在赛车调校上走错了方向。比赛中我们的速度根本无法与前面的车手相提并论。今天的赛道实在太难超车了。"

汉密尔顿在法拉利的开局曾充满希望——他在3月中国大奖赛冲刺赛中夺冠，但次日他与勒克莱尔双双被取消资格，暴露出法拉利始终难以解决的赛车调校问题。

赛恩斯终获正名

对于塞恩斯而言，离开法拉利转投自2021年以来从未登上领奖台的威廉姆斯车队是一次冒险，而此次季军的成绩无疑印证了新东家重返顶尖车队行列的长期计划正在奏效。

塞恩斯表示，这也证明他在那些需要为2025赛季适应新车队的车手中脱颖而出，这一群体还包括汉密尔顿。

他说：“我认为在所有更换车队的选手中——这在当今并非易事——我从第一场比赛开始就极具竞争力，速度很快，但成绩并未如我所愿。”

“当时我无法向自己、团队和所有人证明好事即将发生。但最终，它们确实到来了。”

美联社赛车新闻专题：