Carlos Sainz Jr. and Williams ready for ‘unforgiving’ Monaco Grand Prix

Williams has enjoyed a stellar start to the 2025 Formula 1 season.

After seven race weekends, they sit fifth in the Constructors’ Championship standings with 51 points, and are coming off three consecutive races where both Carlos Sainz Jr. and Alex Albon finished in the points. Furthermore, the 51 points the team has in their account through seven race weekends is more than their total from the past two seasons, combined:

However, this week brings a bigger, “unforgiving” challenge.

The Monaco Grand Prix.

“The Monaco Grand Prix is an amazing track to experience in a Formula 1 car, and it’s nice to be racing again so soon after Imola,” said Albon in the team’s media preview. “It was a really strong result to score another P5 and bring the team another points haul. We are maximizing our weekends and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do again this week. Overtaking is notoriously difficult at this track so a strong performance in Qualifying will be vital to give us the best possible chance of points on race day.”

“I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel through the famous streets of Monaco; a historic track which always brings exciting weekends and that I’ve immensely enjoyed every time I’ve raced here, from Karting to F1. It’s another circuit where having a clean Saturday is absolutely key for the race,” added Sainz. “The tight streets are unforgiving, so we’ll ensure we build up throughout the weekend and into Qualifying. The weather sometimes plays a big part as well so we’ll keep an eye on every detail possible. We have built some good momentum and I’m excited to see what we can do this weekend!”

A big story heading into this weekend is the new mandatory two-stop rule that the sport’s governing body has implemented for the Monaco Grand Prix. In an effort to improve the “racing spectacle,” the FIA is requiring teams to make two pit stops during the race and use three different sets of tires, including two different compounds if the race is run in dry conditions.

Many drivers, including Albon, are skeptical that the rule change will open up opportunities for overtaking and improve the racing. I asked Albon about the rule change recently, and he expressed his doubts.

“The cars are getting bigger but the circuit stays the same, so I think overtaking will always be tricky until the regulations change,” detailed Albon.

We’ll see if Williams can keep their strong streak alive later this week on the streets of Monte Carlo.