Williams orders Sainz to let Albon pass at Monza

Untelevised team radio from the Italian Grand Prix has revealed a tactical disagreement within Williams that saw Carlos Sainz overruled by his pit wall as the team ordered him to let teammate Alex Albon pass, a move that helped secure seventh place for Albon while Sainz finished 11th at Monza on Sunday. The exchange, which played out as Sainz's medium tyres lost performance and Albon ran on hards, underlined growing pains in Williams's season and renewed focus on communication and car development.

The radio recording showed Sainz initially asking his race engineer, Gaetan Jego, to pit him to avoid the time loss associated with slowing to cede position. Sainz repeatedly requested a stop, at one point saying "Box me," but Jego argued that pitting would drop him into a DRS train of slower cars. Jego instructed Sainz to "lift into Turn 4" and keep the racing line so Albon could make the pass. Sainz complied on Lap 25, yielding through Curva Grande and allowing Albon to slip by into the second chicane.

Albon converted the tactical switch into points, finishing seventh, his fourth points result in six races. Sainz's day unravelled later after contact with Oliver Bearman's Haas,...