Carlos Sainz made a veiled reference to the ‘Crashgate’ scandal as he called for a “ban” on “manipulating” the Monaco Grand Prix.

That comes after Sainz’s Williams team – as well as Racing Bulls – utilised hold-up tactics in order to ensure their cars finished in the points, as for the first time in Monaco, a mandatory two-stop ruling was in operation.

Monaco GP: FIA ban on tactics to ‘manipulate’ needed?

Following a first-lap incident last year in Monaco which saw most drivers change tyres under the red flag and run in a procession to the chequered flag from there, the FIA looked to spice things up for 2025 by ruling that each driver must make at least two pit-stops during the race.

But, in a side effect from that rule, Racing Bulls and Williams took the opportunity to use a driver as a slow-moving rear-gunner, backing up the pack to allow the other driver to create a gap for their stop. It worked, with Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls finishing P6 and P8 respectively, while Williams’ Alex Albon claimed P9 and Sainz P10.

That meant 12 points bagged for Racing Bulls and three for Williams, though Sainz made it clear that he did not appreciate being required to partake in such games.

Speaking post-race to DAZN F1, Sainz said: “We didn’t expect Lawson to start holding up Hadjar so early in the race. That affected both our cars because we saw that if we kept going like that, we would lose points too. In the end, we had to do it ourselves with both cars.

“It wasn’t something we had planned, but it was something we feared the Racing Bulls might do. And so it happened.

“It shows that the two-stop strategy didn’t change anything, and the race remains super boring. And people are manipulating things like we did or like others did with the pace.

“I’m very disappointed with this race, to be honest, and with the sport in general. We didn’t run a race, we just did whatever we wanted.”

PlanetF1.com understands that there is a feeling within Formula 1 that the rule change did its job of creating something different, with an appetite for it continuing.

But regardless, what Sainz wants to see change relates to these blocking tactics around the tight and twisting Monaco track, as he called for a “ban” to be put in place.

Sainz would go as far as to make a veiled reference to the events of Singapore 2008, remembered for the ‘Crashgate’ scandal where Renault ordered Nelson Piquet Jr to purposely crash to aid team-mate Fernando Alonso’s victory chances.

The incident went down as one of the blackest marks in Formula 1’s sporting history. Renault were given a suspended two-year disqualification from Formula 1, dependent on not committing any further comparable infringements.

Managing director Flavio Briatore and chief engineer Pat Symonds both left the team, with Briatore given an indefinite F1 ban and Symonds a five-year ban, though both were overturned in court.

The scandal later led to Felipe Massa’s ongoing legal challenge against the outcome of the 2008 World Championship – having lost out by a single point to Lewis Hamilton – with Massa leading the Singapore Grand Prix at the time of Piquet Jr’s crash and subsequent Safety Car appearance.

In Sainz’s view, what went down in Monaco is a comparable example of “manipulating” the results, and he wants it stamped out.

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Asked if he would put his complaints to the FIA, Sainz continued: “Well, if they make a rule that says it’s forbidden to manipulate the race by managing a driver’s pace, then yes.

“In the end, you are manipulating the results.

“Twenty years ago in F1, manipulating results led to many penalties, if you remember, without naming them. But I don’t know why back then it was overreacted as a horror for the sport, and now here in Monaco, the race is manipulated every day, and nothing happens.

“I’m not saying we have to do something, but if we want to improve the sport in Monaco, we have to ban this kind of thing.

“I hated going three seconds off my pace, but since Lawson did it to us and put us in P19 and P20 in the projected result, we had to do it ourselves. In my opinion, either we create a rule to prevent this or all the teams will start doing it openly in Monaco.”

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