Report: Underway in Monte Carlo

Atlassian Williams F1 Team start the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix weekend with 137 laps of running on Friday

Published

05 JUN 2026

Est. reading time

2 min

Formula 1 has arrived at its crown jewel, and Atlassian Williams F1 Team recorded plenty of running despite several interruptions on the first day of track action in Monaco.

It was an encouraging start to the weekend for the team in FP1, with Alex Albon ending the hour in P11 (1:15.989) and Carlos Sainz in P12 (1:16.041) in a session that featured two red-flag periods.

However Alex was still able to record 33 laps, alongside Carlos' 31, providing a solid foundation on which to build.

Both cars ran only the hard and medium compounds during the opening hour, but FP2 saw the arrival of the soft tyre for some vital qualifying simulations in the weekend's most representative practice session.

Despite a lengthy Virtual Safety Car period and a late red flag, the team were able to work through most of their programme. Carlos rounded out the hour in P12 (1:14.152), with Alex marginally behind in P13 (1:14.600).

FP2 saw the team add almost an entire race distance in laps completed, with 73 laps split 34 and 39 between Carlos and Alex respectively.

There is some work to do overnight, with both drivers reporting frustrations with battery deployment throughout the session. The Circuit de Monaco presents an energy-management challenge unlike anywhere else on the calendar.

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Alex Albon:

“Not a bad Friday overall. There's obviously a lot of traffic around this circuit, especially with 22 cars, which makes it tricky to get a lap in clear air. The track is a bit bumpier than last year and I also felt like I was sliding around a lot, so the focus for tomorrow will be on getting the car into a good window. Across both free practice sessions, we were hovering around P11, so I am more optimistic heading into tomorrow. Monaco is obviously all about qualifying and one-lap pace - I think Q1 will be tricky with the traffic, but hopefully we can make the most out of it and put ourselves in a good starting position for the race."

Carlos Sainz:

“Overall, it's been quite an intense Friday, with a lot of disruptions throughout the sessions with yellow and red flags and with 22 cars on track the traffic was tricky. Having said that, we managed to put together some solid laps and more or less cover our run plan. Right now, it looks like we’re just outside the top 10, so if we want to fight for Q3 tomorrow we need everything to be perfect and we need to make a good step overnight with car and tyre preparation."

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