‘Not pretty': Williams driver Alex Albon speaks out after controversial Monaco GP battle with George Russell

Sky News AU

4 days ago

Williams driver Alex Albon has admitted his tactics at the Monaco Grand Prix 'were not pretty' after a controversial move against George Russell ended in a penalty for the Mercedes.
Russell experienced a horror weekend in Monaco after dropping out of Qualifying due to a power failure in the Q2 phase.
Lining up 14th on the grid, Russell's hopes of cobbling together a points-paying position were dashed by both Williams cars, who tactically slowed to create a jam on Monaco's tight turns.
Initially stuck to the rear of Carlos Sainz's car, and later Albon's, Russell grew so frustrated with the situation that he cleared Albon by driving straight over the Nouvelle Chicane.
A furious Russell refused to give back the position and was handed a drive through penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
The Mercedes driver, who is sitting fourth in the 2025 driver's championship, ultimately crossed the line just outside the points in 11th.
Meanwhile, Albon and Sainz crossed ninth and tenth respectively, earning three precious points for midfield team Williams.
'Today isn't how either Carlos or I want to go racing; it's not pretty but, in the end, it was a tactical game, and we had to make it work,' Albon said in a statement after the race.
'The Racing Bulls did it first, and we knew if they started it, we had to match it. 'Realistically we lost the race on Saturday, and you pay the price here; you start where you finish and that was it.
'The weekend was a bit disappointing as it feels like we didn't maximise what we could have, but we've still come away with three good points for the team and we'll just keep chipping away at it.'
Meanwhile, Team Principal James Vowles added to the chorus of calls for a 'review' of rules and regulations at Monaco, despite both Williams' drivers scoring points on Sunday.
'It's great to walk away with points with both drivers and brilliant to watch Alex and Carlos execute really strong teamwork to achieve that,' he said.
'We need to review the rules and regulations for Monaco, because racing like this feels wrong and I want us to be racing on performance and merit, and we're not quite there yet.'
Despite a new mandatory two-stop rule being in place this year, the podium of the iconic Monaco Grand Prix predictably matched qualifying as Lando Norris gave McLaren its first win in the Principality since 2008.
Monégasque local Charles Leclerc, who won the race last year for Ferrari, did his best to put some pressure on Norris but failed to pull out any tricks on Monaco's notoriously narrow streets.
Aussie Oscar Piastri finished third, but his lead in the world championship has been slashed to three points while reigning world champ Max Verstappen finished fourth.