James Vowles: Only forward from now on!

      After Carlos Sainz's podium yesterday, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff presented James Vowles, his former colleague who now heads Williams Racing, with a gift dessert set that included a bottle of champagne, a bottle of lemonade and various sweets. A cheerful congratulatory note accompanied the set, and all of it shows that Williams' success is celebrated even by rivals — and fans all the more so.

      "Now only forward!" Vowles commented on the race in Baku. "We drew a sort of line, crossed it and will keep moving forward. That's exactly what Carlos said after the race. He's shown good pace all year, and the podium was the joyful moment we all needed.

      In Baku Williams managed to put everything together, and Carlos was brilliant overall, working flawlessly on all days, even though this race weekend was one of the most difficult in my memory over all the years of my career. Moreover, I agree with Carlos when he says we did not succeed because of luck, not because a safety car came out at a moment that suited us.

      The result was achieved because lap after lap our driver was lapping at an excellent pace, which made it possible to finish in the top three. I've been lucky — in my career I've been involved in many podiums, but I'll remember this one forever.

      Carlos drove a magnificent race, piloting exceptionally well from start to finish, and watching his work on track was a real pleasure. It's clear how important this achievement is to him. I believe it will give him an extra boost and become a solid foundation for further success.

      Speaking of Alex Albon, sometimes you have days like that. He definitely had the pace — we saw it from the very start of the weekend — but the crash early in qualifying inevitably complicated everything. Still, he tried to make up for it and finished the race not far from the points-paying top ten.

      I am proud of how the team is being reborn — I've seen how it has been working over the past few months, and also over the previous week or so we managed to sort out the problems that had been hindering us in qualifying.

      And the way the team acted during the race only confirms that the podium was a well-deserved reward. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us; I want to see what results Carlos can achieve in the upcoming races.

      I've been lucky — in my career I've been involved in many podiums, but I'll remember this one forever. I'm looking forward to returning to the team's base on Monday with the trophy we've won — I expect the celebrations to be through the roof!"