The F1 Monaco GP weekend brought a hard-earned point for Williams, but Carlos Sainz left Monte Carlo disillusioned with the way the race unfolded. On Formula 1’s tightest circuit, overtaking is notoriously difficult — and this year, slow, strategic driving by rivals became a defining theme.
Sainz described the situation as “manipulation” of the race outcome and called on the sport to rethink how Monaco races are managed going forward.
Sainz criticises race tactics in F1 Monaco GP
After Sunday’s Grand Prix, Sainz didn’t hold back in his criticism. The Williams driver explained how several competitors intentionally ran two to three seconds off the car’s actual pace — using the tight layout to block rivals and protect track position. Liam Lawson did it to help teammate Isack Hadjar, frustrating the Williams driver in doing so.
“Ultimately, you’re driving two or three seconds off the pace that the car can do. You are ultimately manipulating the race, and manipulating the outcome a bit”
Unlike faster circuits with DRS and long straights, Monaco rewards this type of defensive driving more than it should, according to Sainz.
“Around Monaco, it’s too easy to do. Other tracks, with DRS and straights, you cannot do it. But today was very easy to do, for everyone.”
He even sympathized with George Russell’s penalty for leaving the track to pass Alex Albon after cutting the Nouvelle Chicane.
“I completely understand why he did it, because I nearly did it.”
Eventually, Williams joined the tactical trend as Sainz backed Russell up. Albon would do the same once he got his stops out of the way to help his Spanish teammate create a pitstop gap to the Mercedes.
“We didn’t expect to have to play these team games, but in the end Lawson started doing it to us. That left us last and second-to-last in the simulation, and we had no choice but to do the same.”
Set-up Issues still haunt Williams
The 2025 Monaco GP also revealed lingering set-up problems for Carlos Sainz as he adapts to the team. While Williams has shown strong pace on standard layouts, slow-speed circuits remain a challenge.
“All the progress we made on normal circuits isn’t showing up here… I need to understand what we can change in the car to find more confidence on this kind of layout.”
He highlighted a drop in performance between Q1 and Q2 during qualifying.
“It’s not so much the position, but the feeling I had. In Q1 I was competing to be in Q3 — in Q2, everything changed once we started running the tyres.”
Despite the set-up struggles, Sainz secured a P10 finish. Both Williams cars ended in the top 10 — it has happened at four straight races.
“Glad we got points for the team. It’s a good sign — ninth and tenth. I’ll take that as a positive. I’ve had a bit of an off weekend until the race.”
Focus Turns to the Spanish Grand Prix
Next for Carlos Sainz is his home race — the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The team hopes to return to a more conventional racing scenario and capitalise on recent strong results.
“We need to make sure we’re back on the pace in Barcelona — even though Barcelona should be a trickier track for us.”
With Monaco behind them, Williams now focuses on consistent pace, proper racing, and proving the car’s real potential.
