Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - May 25, 2025 Williams' Alexander Albon` before the race REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki
MONACO (Reuters) -Williams driver Alex Albon paid a price for keeping George Russell out of the points in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix -- the bill for dinner with his Mercedes friend and rival.
Russell finished 11th, behind Albon in ninth and Williams' Carlos Sainz in 10th.
The Williams drivers used strategy, driving comparatively slowly and swapping positions to create gaps and allow each other time to pit without losing places on a track where overtaking is practically impossible.
Russell, who had been one of only four drivers to score in every race this season, said Albon would be paying for dinner.
Albon then posted a photograph on Instagram of the pair together and him holding up the bill with the caption "You're welcome".
Russell collected a drive through penalty for cutting the chicane to get ahead of Albon, frustrated at being unable to pass any other way.
"The strategy was for Kimi (Antonelli) and I to help each other out and gain positions throughout the race. Unfortunately, Williams and Racing Bulls opted for the same strategy, and it left us without any real options," he said.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed that Williams principal James Vowles, who used to work with him, had texted to apologise.
"I'm sorry. We had no choice given what happened ahead'," said Vowles in the message, read out by Wolff.
"I answered 'we know'," said the Austrian.
"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," he added.
Racing Bulls had Isack Hadjar finish sixth and Liam Lawson eighth after the New Zealander held up traffic and allowed his French teammate to build up a lead without fear of being overtaken.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
