(Motorsport-Total.com) – Even before the Monaco Grand Prix ended in complete chaos after Lance Stroll’s accident, Williams’ team tactics caused discussion. As in the previous year, the British team cleverly exploited the overtaking problem in the Principality to gain a strategic advantage.
Read more Russell in Monaco only P13: Wolff explains the pit stop error
Alexander Albon was in tenth place, his teammate Carlos Sainz directly behind him in eleventh. But there was a problem: drivers who had pitted early for a tire change, thus relying on an undercut strategy, were approaching dangerously fast from behind. Nico Hülkenberg was leading the charge.
The Audi driver switched from medium to hard tires as early as lap 12 – with success. In the following laps, the German was on average two seconds per lap faster than the two Williams drivers, who were still on their starting tires.
At times, Hülkenberg was even virtually in seventh place and could possibly have fought for these positions after the pit stops of Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris. But it didn’t come to that.
Williams, in the person of Carlos Sainz, employed a targeted blocking tactic, allowing teammate Alexander Albon to afford a practically free tire change. After Lando Norris’s retirement, it was clear: now the game had to work in reverse, because suddenly Sainz was also in tenth place and thus in the points.
How George Russell tried to outsmart his drive-through penalty
It became even more curious after the red flag at the restart. There, George Russell attempted a remarkable slowing-down tactic. The Briton had incurred a drive-through penalty, which he had to serve no later than three laps after the restart.
Russell’s plan was clear: an extremely slow first lap to push the field back behind him, followed by as fast a second lap as possible to potentially gain enough of a lead and still get into the points. The plan didn’t work out – Russell ultimately finished twelfth – but the idea was undoubtedly clever.
At the same time, this example illustrates the fundamental problem. The Monaco race has little to do with classic racing anymore; even under the current regulations, overtaking remains extremely difficult.
Instead, the race develops into a strategic chess match, which certainly has its appeal – at least for those who are passionate about tactics and strategy. However, those who primarily want to see real racing rarely get their money’s worth in the Principality.
When did team tactics become fashionable?
Monaco has always been a strategically driven race. Especially at the front, it was often observed how the pace was deliberately controlled to keep the field together and prevent possible undercut windows for the pursuers. A similar approach was also repeatedly pursued in Singapore.
Meanwhile, these tactics have reached a new dimension. At the latest with the mandatory two-stop strategy last year, the absurdity of many maneuvers became clearly visible. Of all teams, Williams was the one that deliberately slowed down the midfield to secure the position for the teammate ahead.
Similar games were therefore to be expected for 2026. The main affected party, Nico Hülkenberg, also thinks so: “That was a pretty bitter race,” he told Sky on Sunday.
Read more Who slept best last night: Isack Hadjar
“Unfortunately, you are hopelessly at its mercy. That is bitter and frustrating. We experienced this last year, and this year it was to be expected that if a team had two cars close together, it would happen again. And yes, unfortunately, that’s how it turned out.”
Nevertheless, this type of team tactic only seems to have become truly popular in recent years. In 2017, for example, Ferrari had Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel on the front row. However, a normal race was driven back then – without artificial slowing down – even though Ferrari could have secured a one-two finish much more easily this way.
Norris, Lindblad, Colapinto: Blockades that didn’t happen
The problem cannot be reduced solely to situations where two cars from the same team are driving directly behind each other. Because one thing is certain: if Carlos Sainz had not held up the field for Albon, another driver would have done so sooner or later.
As mentioned earlier, Nico Hülkenberg was virtually ahead of Pierre Gasly and also Liam Lawson at times. Behind Sainz, Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto were also driving outside the points. If Sainz had not slowed down the field for Albon, Lindblad could have done the same for Lawson later to ensure he stayed ahead of Hülkenberg. The same applies to Colapinto in Gasly’s interest. Ultimately, both drivers had nothing to lose.
Lando Norris is also an interesting component in this context. The Briton was ahead of George Russell and Isack Hadjar before his retirement but still had to pit. If Norris had stayed in the race, McLaren could also have used a blocking tactic to potentially help Oscar Piastri to an unexpected third place.
The Monaco Grand Prix may have seemed boring for long stretches, but tactically and strategically, it offered enormous excitement from the start. Nevertheless, the question remains: Should Formula 1 present itself in this way? Should a race be so heavily distorted by tactical games?
Why there will be no solution
Sky expert Timo Glock summed it up after the race: “That’s part of the game here, a team can implement it that way.” McLaren CEO Zak Brown expressed a similar view in a live broadcast on Sky when asked about the Williams blockade.
Because ultimately, such an approach can hardly be punished. The question of where the line between legitimate pace and intentional slowing down lies is practically impossible to answer objectively. The performance differences between the cars are too great, the variables too numerous. Perhaps Carlos Sainz also had problems with his tires? Jokes aside, but who could judge that beyond doubt?
If one wants to solve the problem at all, one must address the root cause. Artificial interventions will exacerbate the situation rather than improve it – as the failed two-stop mandate last year impressively showed.
The only sustainable solution would be a redesign of the track, which simplifies overtaking maneuvers and makes such tactics impossible. Softer tires with higher wear could also help to at least partially mitigate the problem.
Or one simply accepts Monaco as it is: a qualifying spectacle on Saturday and a strategic tactical battle without real racing on Sunday.