Report: Season-best finish in Monaco

An unpredictible Monaco GP sees Alex take four points from a P11 start

Published

07 JUN 2026

Est. reading time

3 min

Alex Albon has secured a P8 finish in F1’s jewel in the crown, the Monaco Grand Prix, after a gruelling 78 laps in the Principality.

The 2026 result matches his personal best Sunday in Monte Carlo, after his debut season also saw an eighth-place finish.

It was far from a simple task for Albono, though, with team orders, battery deployment issues, two safety cars, and a red flag to navigate en-route to his four points.

A race of two halves saw Alex jump up to P10 off the line after Max Verstappen couldn’t get away once the lights went out to start the race.

With Atlassian Williams teammate Carlos Sainz slotting in behind him, the team were in a strong position to use their two cars to eke out any advantage.

This idea proved a more challenging in reality, however, with Alex struggling with battery deployment issues throughout his race.

Nonetheless, with Medium tyres equipped, he and Sainz maintained position through the race’s opening half, with the pit wall trying to help Alex handle the battery.

Sainz dutifully opened a gap for Alex to pit into without losing any places, and the sole in-race pit stop of the day finally came on Lap 43, with a switch to Soft tyres.

A successful swap of position then handed Sainz the advantage, and Alex was charged with keeping the gaggle of drivers behind.

Locking up into the Nouvelle Chicane allowed Arvid Lindblad to get close, though, and the Racing Bulls driver passed into La Rascasse with Alex having opened a 12-second gap for Sainz while managing his battery problems.

Despite the pass, the teamwork played out well, and Carlos was able to stop and emerge just metres ahead of Alex, albeit with Lindblad now ahead but needing to stop.

The two teammates swapped position once more, letting Alex back in front. With Lando Norris retiring from the race, the team looked set for double points once Lindblad retired.

Fate, however, had other ideas, with two Safety Car slowdowns changing the race’s final act. Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc both crashed at Anthony Noghes in separate incidents, with the latter’s triggering a red flag over concerns with the track’s surface.

A lengthy stoppage allowed Lindblad to change tyres and keep his position without needing to take a pit stop, but Alex’s P9 had now turned to P8 in the wake of Leclerc’s retirement.

That P8 is where Alex would finish one the race resumed from a standing start, but it would not be simple.

Nico Hulkenberg got by at the Nouvelle Chicane shortly after punting Sainz out of the race at the Fairmont Hairpin, but the German driver crucially skipped the corner.

Handing the place back blunted Hulkenberg’s attack, and the stewards would hit him with a time penalty anyway for his contact with Sainz, allowing Alex to cross the line and take his best result of 2026 so far.