Albon feels sorry for the necessary tactical game at Monaco GP

Williams displayed encouraging pace across the practice sessions at the Monaco Grand Prix, but they were unable to deliver when it really mattered in qualifying.

Alexander Albon set an eye-catching time in Q2, ending up third in the middle part of qualifying, but he ended up tenth on the grid. His team-mate Carlos Sainz was unable to exploit the full potential of Pirelli’s brand-new C6 compound in Q2, and was left down in P11 on grid.

During the race, the Williams pair benefitted from the retirement of Fernando Alonso, and they acted as great team players, helping each other by holding up their direct rivals to create the necessary gaps for the crucial pit stops.

In the end, Albon finished the 78-lap Monte Carlo race in ninth position while Sainz completed the top ten to earn a single championship point for himself and the Grove-based outfit.

Reflecting on the race, Albon said that Williams were forced to play “a tactical game” after their direct rival Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Isack Hajdar also worked together.

“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.

“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,” added the Thai driver.