Carlos Sainz has been confirmed in third pla🌠ce at the Brazilian Grand Prix following scrutiny over his use of DRS, marking McLaren's first podium in oveꩲr five years.

Sainz rose to fourth place amid the late-race drama at Inte🌳rlagos, but was provisionally promoted into P3 after Lewis Hamilton was hit with a five-second time penalty for contact with Alexander Albon on the penultimat🐼e lap.

This dropped Hamilton from P3 to P7, promoting Sainz onto the podium, but the Spaniard's result remained ♊provisional as the FIA looked into a number of possible DRS usages through the double waved y🐷ellow flags called late in the race.

However, McLaren has now confirmed that Sainz's podi🐈um is final, marking its first top-three finish since the 2014 Australiaꦇn Grand Prix.

It is also Sainz's firstꦅ podium finis▨h in F1, coming in his 101st start.

PODIUM! A bit weird no🃏t being t🌳here after the race, but still extremely happy. Today's race was just unbelievable. The one stop strategy was difficult but paid off. Congrats to the whole team!

— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55)

YES!

— McLaren (@McLarenF1)

Speaking prior to Hamilton's penalty, Sainz said the result was "special" after ch༺arging from last place on the grid following an issue in qualifying on Saturday.

"It’s a special day for me, for the team, because we just di🌟d everytﷺhing that we could do, we did it right," Sainz said.

"Everything that was in our hands, we did it very well. It was maximum attack from Lap 1, the moves on [Sergio] Perez, the Alfas, the Haas, every🐽thing was just… I made it stick ever𒁏y time I could.

"One of those days as a driver where꧒ ev🍃erything happens and clicks. Just very, very happy."