Williams rookie Logan Sargeant executed a flawless race in Bahrain to finish P12, the young American achieving everything he wanted in his maiden F1 event and "loving every second" of it.
On Saturday, Sargeant came close to securing a spot in Q2 after setting the exact same P15 time in the segment as McLaren's Lando Norris but posting his best lap after the Briton.
From 16th on the grid, Sarge gained three positions on the opening lap – overtaking Hulkenberg, Zhou and Tsunoda - to clock in 13th, hot on the heels of his teammate Alex Albon.
From there, the American's race unfolded without a single mistake or setback.
"I think considering it was my first race I’m pretty happy with it," said Sargeant.
"I achieved everything I wanted to today. I got a clean start, a good first lap and from there just settled in and did my best to just maintain good pace, get a few overtakes, worked on my pit stops and everything went smoothly.
"I feel like everything operationally from race start to pit stops, VSCs, everything went smoothly.
"I’m really happy with the pace that me and Alex had today. The team’s done an amazing job all weekend, just unlocking that pace."
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Sargeant reckons that Williams likely outdid itself compared to its post-test prospects.
"We probably didn’t expect where we were now, compared to the test and that’s just a massive testament to the work that the team has done. Super proud of everyone," he added.
And for good measure, the Williams charger had a load of fun out on the track.
"Before the formation lap, there was a little extra [nerves]," he said. "But to be honest, I felt like once I got into the race, once I got into the rhythm, it all felt very natural.
"I loved every second of it! I love the on-track battles and it’s super fun.
"I just looked for the gaps and tried to fill them! I didn’t ask for too much. It just fell my way.
"So it was an awesome first day in the office and I’m really looking forward to Saudi."
Sargeant's calm and controlled run in Bahrain - not to mention his speed and consistency - demonstrated beyond the slightest doubt that the 22-year-old from Fort Lauderdale is worthy of racing among motorsport's elite.
But Sargeant also knows that maintaining a consistent "upward trajectory" throughout the season will be a difficult.
"I’ve learned a lot, I’ve shown myself that I am capable to race against these guys at a high level," he said. "And that’s massively positive.
"I still expect difficulties along the way, I know how difficult it is to keep performing at that level, especially going to a few tracks now that I don’t know very well.
"It’s going to be more important to keep prepping well, working hard and keeping on that upward trajectory.
"From myself there’s definitely more to come. I still have a lot to learn for sure."
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