Williams boss James Vowles texted Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff during the Monaco Grand Prix to apologise for the manipulation tactics his team had unleashed.
In a bid to protect its points-scoring spots, Williams ordered Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon to take turns in backing off to help create a gap in front of them so their team-mates could complete their mandatory stops without losing position.
The situation was one that caused controversy and triggered frustration for cars behind – especially George Russell, who deliberately cut a chicane to get past the slow Albon even though he knew he would pick up a penalty.
Both Williams drivers expressed remorse to fans afterwards for what Sainz said were tactics that were a “manipulation” of the race.
But the team’s first apology actually came as the events were playing out in real time.
From the pitwall, Vowles sent an SMS from his phone to Wolff – whose drivers Russell and Kimi Antonelli were having their afternoons wrecked by what Williams was up to.
Wolff later revealed about the message from Vowles: “Yeah, I [was] sent a text in the race. He said: 'I'm sorry. We had no choice given what happened ahead.'
“I answered: 'We know.'”
Vowles’ reference to having no choice is about rival Racing Bulls ahead of it having first pulled the pin in employing the tactics to use team-mates together.
It had got Liam Lawson to back up the cars behind him – which included Albon and Sainz – to help Isack Hadjar secure valuable points.
No choice
Wolff said he fully understood why Williams did it because of the way the race had panned out ahead.
“James is one of my guys, and I don't want to sound patronising, because he's making a career as a team principal, and he's doing really well, but he had to do it,” he said.
“He had two cars in the points, and I think that when it started was when the RBs backed us up. So that is what he had to do.”
Vowles himself openly confessed after the race that, while happy with the team adding to its constructors’ championship tally, he did not like the way it had to be done.
He thinks the events are enough for F1 to evaluate whether it sticks with the two-stop rules for next year with some tweaks or drops them entirely.
“That's not how we want to go racing,” he told Williams’ own social channels. “We want to be here pushing flat out, really from start to finish.
“We had a quick car today, and we couldn't use it. But ultimately, with what happens in front of us in terms of tactics, we've had to also follow suit in order to be walking away with those points.
“I think the championship is going to be awfully tight and the points, they should be valuable. I think going forward, we'll reflect on these regulations and rules and determine how we either tweak them or revert in order to make a better show for everyone out there.”
Stopping the manipulation
Wolff reckoned that F1 needed to look at some potential tweaks to the two-stop rules for 2026 to stop team tactics making a mockery of the race.
“Even if this was a zero-stop race and we're doing an autocourse on the Sunday, it's still a mega venue,” he said. “And then it's the Saturday shoot out, that matters.
“But I think what we can look at is to create some Monaco specific regulations like there's only a maximum of back off that you can have.
“So you can't hold up a train. You could say you can't go slower than x seconds from the leaders. That will probably create a little bit more of a closer field.
“But does it improve the overtaking? I don't think that's feasible. We need to focus with maybe the ACM here. Is there anything they can change on the layout? It’s difficult in a city between the mountain and the sea, but I see the positives. This is an unbelievable spectacle.”
While the idea of stopping teams employing manipulative tactics is good in theory, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur thinks effective rules could not be created.
“To play this kind of game, you need to have two guys disciplined, but it's possible,” he said.
“Now to police it, honestly it's impossible because it's not the first time [this has happened]. I remember that last year we played a game also to try to manage the gap between the two cars.
“And in the past, McLaren did it two or three years ago. You can always do something like this on track. And if you want to start to police it, what is the limit? Is it three tenths? One second, two seconds, three seconds? We have enough rules like this."
