Carlos Sainz airs major F1 fear after Monaco 'manipulation'

Carlos Sainz has warned that he believes F1 teams will be more open to manipulating grands prix in the future after the Monaco debacle.

The mandated two-stop strategy in the Principality quickly descended into a farce after Racing Bulls ordered Liam Lawson to back up the field to allow Isack Hadjar to complete his two stops without falling into the pack. 

Williams then deployed a similar tactic with Sainz backing up the train to allow Alex Albon to escape up the road, with all four of those drivers scoring a points finish. 

However, Sainz has warned that such tactics will be all the more accepted by teams going forward.

"I fear that as we move forward into the years ahead, teams are going to be more comfortable doing what was done [in Monaco]," Sainz warned to media, including RacingNews365.

"The top 10 cars which are in the points are going to want to bank the points, and the second driver is going to have to do it, but then the lead driver can redo it for you, like Alex did for me. 

"Monaco used to only have one moment of tension, but for me, the bigger problem is the race manipulation. 

"I don't think we should be able to manipulate a race outcome. In the past, there was a huge penalty for manipulating a race.

"Ultimately, we are driving so slowly that we are manipulating a race; it is allowed so perfect, but ultimately, we need to find a solution."