After a disappointing end to a promising qualifying session for the F1 Monaco GP, in which his Q2 lap was faster than his final Q3 lap, Alex Albon recovered well and finished the race in P9.
Though one would expect the Williams driver to feel positive after a double-points finish for the team, Albon had mixed feelings. The Thai driver explained his thoughts on the controversial two-stop mandated race.
‘Painful’ race despite points finish
Alex Albon finished the Monaco GP in 9th, with his Williams teammate picking up the last points position behind him. Sainz and Albon helped each other throughout the 78 laps, taking it in turns to build up pit stops gaps for the other.
Despite a positive end to the weekend following the disappointing qualifying session, Albon responded with mixed feelings when asked about the race itself.
“Painful. Not how I want to go racing and I don’t think enjoyable for anyone watching as well. We knew it was a possibility, we knew this strategy could happen. I think we were talking about it on Thursday. We didn’t want it to happen and I think on our side, it wasn’t how we were going to go racing.”
The aim of the two obligatory pit stops introduced for Monaco this year was to add more excitement to the race as overtaking is so difficult. However, many drivers actually opted to driver much slower than usual to limit the progress of the drivers behind them and build up pit stop gaps for their teammates.
Williams took inspiration from Hadjar and Lawson, who helped each other and finished in P6 and P8 respectively. Albon explained that once the Racing Bulls did this, Williams had limited choices but to do the same strategy.
“Once RB [Racing Bulls] started it, it put us in a position where we had to do it as well. It bunched the field up so tightly, the only way to get out of that situation was to basically repeat what they did. Not pretty and frustrating but in the end it’s a team sport and we maximised three points for the team.”
Reaction to Russell’s penalty
Williams’ strategy to race incredibly slowly had a big impact on the drivers behind them. After both Mercedes were unable to make it to Q3, Russell and Antonelli were did not achieve any points this weekend.
Albon’s slow driving caused massive frustration for Russell behind him. This strategy angered the British driver so much that he purposely cut the Nouvelle Chicane to get past Albon. The stewards did not react favourably to Russell going purposely off track and awarded him a drive through penalty.
Albon shared how the penalty was important to not encourage drivers to do the same in the future.
“If that doesn’t happen then you’re going to see chaos. I think it was good that they put it harsh because it would put huge loopholes in the future if we started to not punish it. I think it was correct.”
The Williams driver went on to joke about his fellow 2019 rookie’s road driving.
“George was cheeky! When you’re in the car with him on the road, he does some cheeky moves. He did it on the racetrack as well. I knew exactly what he was doing. It was a bit too obvious to get by me. I applaud the effort.
“He had to do something to get points and he did make us worry for a couple of laps before the drive through came through. I don’t blame him.”
Albon understood Russell’s frustration for the strategy. The Thai driver had been stuck behind Lawson doing the same earlier on in the race. Though unhappy with having to approach the race in this way, Albon emphasised that he tried to do it safely.
“I had the same feedback to Liam. It’s not pretty, you’re obviously making a gap. I tried not to do it in the high-speed corners because that’s dangerous. But at the same time, doing it in the low-speed can also be a bit touch and go. Like I said, I don’t like doing this. I don’t want to be racing like that. Carlos [Sainz] wouldn’t, I’m sure he agrees. I’m sure Liam [Lawson] as well. It’s just what it’s come to. We need to figure out how to stop that kind of racing.”
Mandatory pit stops not the answer
The 2024 Monaco GP had almost zero pit stops after all drivers had to change their tyres following a lap one red flag. Two mandatory pit stops were subsequently introduced for this year, hoping to encourage a more exciting race for viewers.
Albon shared that no matter how many pit stops happen at the Monaco GP, even the traditional one-stop, this kind of race always unfolds due to the characteristics of the track.
“You give us one stop, we were doing it on a one stop, creating this style of racing. We would do it on a two stop, we would do it on a three stop, we would do it on a four stop. You give us whatever.”
Though unhappy with how the race turned out, Albon gave his viewpoint on the experiment overall. He emphasised that if the FIA wish to change racing at the Monaco GP, creating more overtaking opportunities is necessary.
“I think it was worth a try. Even if it was as bad as it was, it was a talking point. It became more of a peloton than a race. Realistically, if you really want to change it, I can only see changing some parts of the track, creating a proper overtaking opportunity and or making the cars smaller, which obviously is going to happen next year. It’s just too easy to defend around here. You need about a four second, five second margin to overtake here and that doesn’t happen.”
