Oscar Piastri will start the Monaco Grand Prix with a best ever qualifying of third. He’ll start second, right behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who won pole position. Piastri’s pole position was hard fought after a tough weekend so far. He fought the balance of his car and had a number of contacts with the wall during practice and qualifying.
The 24-year-old star for McLaren has had a breakout season so far, winning four of the first seven races. As of September 2023, he’s on the top of the Formula One championship standings, 13 points ahead of Norris, his closest title rival. After the pace he’s shown recently, this seems like a serious question. He’s hell bent on capturing that same magic which saw him finish second at last year’s Monaco GP, where Charles Leclerc picked up the win.
Weekend Challenges
For Piastri, in particular, it was a huge challenge throughout the practice sessions before the race. He admitted to having an “untidy” practice and qualifying, stating, “I think I’ve hit more walls this weekend than I have in my whole career, so it’s been untidy.” The driver expressed frustration over his inability to settle into a rhythm, saying, “Just been struggling to get into the groove a bit.”
The headwind didn’t stop there as he began to honestly recount the chaotic run-up to qualifying. “I think at a track like this when you’ve had a messy build-up, you’re always going to leave a little bit on the table,” Piastri noted. Even in light of these challenges, he won himself a highly competitive spot for the race to come.
Looking Ahead to the Race
As Piastri heads into the Monaco Grand Prix, he and his crew are hopeful for more of the same. Lando Norris’s surprise pole position injects a fascinating dynamic into the race, which is often regarded as a place where overtaking is almost impossible. Piastri acknowledged the team’s efforts in qualifying, stating, “The team did a good job. We certainly didn’t go into qualifying with a lack of trying.”
Second, a mandatory second pit stop doubles the opportunities for drivers to do something spectacular. Watch out for them shuffling places all around the track! Regardless, it’s a difficult course for Piastri to find his way through. His finesse in driving it will be key in keeping his edge in the points championship.
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