The seventh round of the 2025 Formula 1 season has concluded. In this edition of the Monaco Grand Prix, unlike all previous years, there was an additional unknown factor represented by the mandatory two stops: Williams driver Carlos Sainz, very angry, was highly critical of this rule. Here are the words of the Spanish driver.
The race on the streets of the principality was very unusual. Over the course of 78 laps, we witnessed various abnormal situations. Many teams asked one of their drivers to slow down the entire group, running four to five seconds slower than their real pace, in order to open a window for a “free” pit stop for the other driver who was further ahead.
We first saw this done by the Racing Bulls, forcing Liam Lawson to act as a bottleneck to favor Isack Hadjar. In the final stages, Williams replicated the same strategy with both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. By doing so, the Grove team managed to finish with both cars in the points, even holding back both Mercedes: ninth and tenth positions at the checkered flag.
But despite this, Carlos Sainz, interviewed by Mara Sangiorgio for Sky Sport F1, was very critical of these “strategies,” not even supporting the mandatory two-stop rule. “We didn’t expect Lawson to slow down so much at the start of the race; it surprised all of us a bit. In the end, we were forced to do the same, otherwise we would have finished in P19 and P20.”
“What does this prove? That the mandatory two stops didn’t work, they didn’t create more spectacle. I like trying new things, but this changed nothing. We need to find a way not to manipulate the race.”
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