Sainz calls for the FIA to outlaw deliberate slow driving in Monaco

Carlos Sainz says driving so far off the pace in the Monaco Grand Prix amounts to race manipulation, and wants the FIA to try and find a solution to avoid repeats in future.

Racing Bulls was the first team to pull off its mandatory two stops by having the second car on the road – Liam Lawson – drive slow enough to back up the field behind and create a gap big enough for teammate Isack Hadjar to pit twice. Both Williams drivers were held up by that approach before then executing the same strategy themselves to score with both cars, but Sainz is not a fan of it being allowed.

“Ultimately, we were victims first from Lawson that managed to lose 40 seconds to Isack – Isack could do his two pit stops in front of us and finish P6,” Sainz said. “As we were victims of that situation, we had to, in the end, do the same thing as Lawson did, both times with Alex [Albon] and myself, to make sure we brought the two cars to the points.

“Something I definitely didn’t enjoy doing, something definitely the sport should look into. Ultimately, you're driving two or three seconds off the pace, that the car can do. You are ultimately manipulating the race, and manipulating the outcome a bit.

“So, we should find a way that this cannot be done in the future, because I have the feeling that every year, people are going to do it more and more, and it's becoming more of a trend the last few years.

“In that sense, the two stops, if anything, helped to maybe spice up the around the pit windows, to have two pit stops, but it made us have to do the slow driving twice, which is not a very good thing for the sport.”

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Although the mandatory two stops highlighted the approach on two occasions, Sainz says it’s not a byproduct of the new regulations and has been happening for a number of years in Monaco.

“For me, we need to look at the spirit of the sport more. And the spirit of the sport, I don't think, should be to manipulate a race outcome," he said.

“In the past, there were huge penalties for manipulating a race, I remember. Ultimately, we are not crashing, but we are driving so slow that we are manipulating a race. Obviously it's allowed, so, perfect, but ultimately, you need to find a solution.

“I'm not going to lie, I've benefited from it in the past. In 2019, Lando [Norris] did it for me, and I finished P6, with McLaren. So, this has been going on for years now around Monaco. So, it's allowed. I suffered it, then I benefited from it. I ultimately just don't want the sport to allow you to be able to do this, or to find a solution to how Monaco don't be able to do this.”