Carlos Sainz calls out “a little” race manipulation by Williams' rivals in the Monaco GP

Carlos Sainz Jr. was left unimpressed after Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix (May 25), accusing Racing Bulls of deliberate race manipulation. The Spaniard's frustration stemmed from teams exploiting Formula 1's new two-stop rule and the increasing tendency of using a driver to slow down the pack, creating space for others.

On the back of criticism over a processional 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, the FIA introduced a one-off regulation mandating at least two pit stops and three different tire compounds in dry conditions. The move was aimed at enhancing strategy variation and encouraging mid-race position changes.

Instead, the rule triggered a fresh wave of controversy as multiple teams in the midfield orchestrated strategies to game the rule and shield their point-scoring opportunities. Sainz reflected on it post-race (via it.Motorsports):

"You basically manipulate the race and you manipulate the result a little bit... I feel like every year people are doing it more and more, and in recent years it's becoming more and more of a trend. So in that sense, the two stops, if nothing else, have helped to liven up the pit windows, but they've forced us to do slow driving twice, which is not a very good thing for the sport."

It started with Racing Bulls, who executed the plan flawlessly after both cars qualified within the top ten. Liam Lawson, running behind teammate Isack Hadjar, seemingly deliberately backed up the chasing Williams cars. He lapped multiple seconds off the pace to allow Hadjar to pit twice and maintain track position.

In response, Williams deployed Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in a similar fashion at the Mercedes cars behind them. Sainz helped Albon by managing the gap, then received the same support in return, later in the race. While both teams scored double points, the race itself fell flat.

---

Carlos Sainz frustrated by slow-pacing strategy as Williams and Racing Bulls took control

Carlos Sainz (55) leads the Mercedes duo during the Formula 1 Monaco GP. Source: Getty

The first sign of 'manipulation' from Racing Bulls came early. Liam Lawson dropped his pace by nearly three seconds per lap to open up enough of a gap for Hadjar to rejoin in clean air after both stops. Once the job was done, the roles reversed. The strategy was successful as Hadjar eventually finished sixth and Lawson eighth, and entirely within the rulebook.

Carlos Sainz found himself stuck behind both Racing Bulls, unable to pass due to Monaco's layout. With Racing Bulls already showing the way, Williams had no option but to play the same game. Despite hating it, Sainz slowed the field for Albon's stop and the Thai driver later returned the favor as both drivers finished in points.

Sainz, who is now the new GPDA director, further explained how to avoid similar racing in the future:

"I think F1 needs to look at how to avoid manipulating races with a very slow pace... On other tracks, it's not easy because of the straights and the DRS. Everyone knew we were going about 3 seconds slower than our real pace, but overtaking is impossible. We will have to work together with the FIA to see what can be changed."

While the FIA intended to shake up stale Monaco proceedings, the rule inadvertently handed power to those running two competitive cars in tandem. Teams like Mercedes who qualified behind the Williams, struggled to find clean air.

Williams boss, James Vowles, previously a long-serving strategist at Mercedes, reportedly sent a message to his former boss Toto Wolff during the race apologizing for the strategy. However, Carlos Sainz believes the tactic exposed an unintentional flaw, allowing races to be managed by pace suppression rather than raw performance.