Williams team principal James Vowles achieved his maiden podium as the leader of a racing team when Carlos Sainz delivered an outstanding performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Sainz qualified in second place, putting him in line for a podium, though the hard work was far from over.
The Mercedes cars of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were chasing the Spanish driver.
Russell did catch Sainz, but the Spaniard managed to hold off Antonelli.
After the race, Wolff left Vowles a gift in his room with a note that read, “Lucky Ba***rd! Congrats on your first podium as a TP.”
More news: From Louis Vuitton to Tag Heuer: Formula 1 is Becoming the Sport of Luxury Brands
For years, Vowles worked at Mercedes, serving as Valtteri Bottas’ engineer and helping the team win several races and titles.
He left the team back in 2023 for the lead job at Williams, who were at the bottom of the grid, but had hopes of rising in stature.
“Congratulations to Carlos, James, and Williams on their P3. That was totally earned on merit,” Wolff said after the race.
“Kimi [Antonelli] did what he could to get close enough to attack, but their pace was a bit too strong. They didn’t put a foot wrong.”
Vowels was quick to praise his driver, whom he spent months trying to recruit to Williams.
“Just an exceptional drive by him,” Vowles told Sky Sports F1.
“Lap after lap, he really built the pace. We knew Mercedes were quick, but well done to him. He didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend.
“You could see they were closing in on us half a second per lap. Either they would go for the undercut or we pulled the trigger first and capitalised on that P3. It was the right choice today.
“He and I spoke on Thursday. We had dinner together. This is a reset point where we start to move forward with our season. He needs this, and you’ll see now the momentum it generates.”
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race Results
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Carlos Sainz (Williams)
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
Alex Albon (Williams)
Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
Ollie Bearman (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Haas)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
DNF: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)