Williams endured a stop-start Friday at the 2025 F1 Monaco GP, with Alex Albon finishing P8 and Carlos Sainz P13 in a disrupted FP2 session. While Albon managed a top-ten lap despite limited running, Sainz struggled after a setup change that cost him confidence in the car. Both drivers dealt with heavy traffic and repeated session interruptions, a common challenge around the narrow Monte Carlo circuit.
Albon finishes P8 in disrupted FP2
Alex Albon ended FP2 in P8, wrapping up a solid day for Williams despite limited track time. The session was full of yellow and red flags, which made it difficult for drivers to find a rhythm or complete clean laps.
“It was quite disjointed at the beginning,” Albon said. “We didn’t really get much of a rhythm out there today. Normally you want to kind of finish Friday feeling a bit better, and in a rhythm with the car. But because of all the yellows and reds, we don’t really know what’s going on.”
Despite the interruptions, Albon showed competitive pace and seemed relatively unbothered by the lack of flow in the session. The team will look to build on his strong top-ten result heading into qualifying.
Sainz Falls to P13 After Setup Change
Carlos Sainz finished FP2 in P13 after a set-up change that didn’t go as planned. He had been more comfortable with the car earlier in the day during FP1 but said the team made adjustments in FP2 that had the opposite effect.
“We started off in FP1 with a car that was not giving me a lot of confidence, but it was definitely very fast,” Sainz said. “We tried some things in FP2 to try and improve that. It didn’t seem to work. It made me lose the confidence, and lose the positives that the car of FP1 had.”
Sainz suggested he might revert to the earlier setup for Saturday’s running, hoping to recover the speed and feel he had in the morning.
Traffic and track conditions add to the challenge
Both drivers were impacted by the typical Monaco traffic issues. Sainz pointed to the crowded circuit as a major challenge.
“Here, when everyone puts a lap together, it looks extremely close,” he said. “We’re trying to get some clean laps without traffic… but when there is 15, 18 cars on track it becomes a bit of a nightmare. Typical Monaco.”
He added that he hopes Formula 1 considers changes in the future to improve qualifying, like they do in F2 and F3: “I hope one day we can group qualifying here, because it would simplify everything so much, and make everyone’s lives a lot easier.”
Outlook for Saturday
Williams will go into Saturday at the F1 Monaco GP with Albon in a solid position and Sainz looking for a set-up reset. With Monaco qualifying always crucial, the team will need to find the right balance early in FP3. Albon’s top-ten pace offers optimism, while Sainz will aim to bounce back with more confidence in the car.
