Carlos Sainz's third place in Brazil is the "perfect motivation" for McLaren as they push to become a top team in Formula 1 again.
That is the claim of team boss Andreas Seidl after the Spaniard inherited his first F1 podium finish following Lewis Hamilton's post-race penalty in Sao Paulo.
Before the race, expectations were low as Sainz started from the back of the grid following his engine issue in qualifying and the elation in slightly unique circumstances was clear.
"From P20 to P3!!" Carlos tweeted. "I have never expected my first F1 podium to be like this. I am extremely happy! Thank you to the whole McLaren team & everyone involved!!"
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Indeed, while Sainz missed the official podium ceremony, he and the team were allowed up to celebrate after receiving the third-placed trophy.
“We woke up this morning after a difficult Saturday with a clear commitment to never give up and fight back,” explained Seidl.
“The achievement this year together with the podium today is the perfect motivation for all of us to keep working hard in order to score podiums again in the future for McLaren based on our own outright performance.”
It is a moment that has encapsulated the scale of the Woking-based squad's resurgence in 2019 following several years in the doldrums.
“Our first podium since Australia 2014 and P4 secured in the championship," CEO Zak Brown simply stated.
“Great teamwork today and all season. Our best result since 2012.
“Thank you to every single one of our people, our superb drivers and our incredible fans.”
