Oscar Piastri has reflected on lining up third on the grid ahead of Sunday’s Monaco GP.
Involved in the tight battle for pole position during qualifying, Oscar Piastri never quite looked on top of his car.
Hitting the barriers hard on Friday, he lightly kissed them again during qualifying.However, he still had the confidence to consistently lap within the top five.
Piastri struggled to match the pace of team-mate Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc during Q3. Losing pace in the final sector, he was forced to settle for third.
Speaking after qualifying, he reflected on his session, admitting his barrier excursions impacted his weekend.
“I think I’ve hit more walls this weekend than I have in my whole career, so it’s been untidy.”
Pole out of reach for Oscar Piastri during Monaco GP qualifying
When asked how he found qualifying Piastri, he delivered a blunt opinion. ‘Intense, as it always is around here.”
Elaborating on his performance, Piastri broke down his performance, revealing where he lost lap time in his battle for pole position.
“Quite reminiscent of last year to be honest – my first lap felt good and then the second lap… a mistake in the Harbour chicane and I left a little bit out there.
Oscar Piastri confirmed beating his team-mate was a tall order on Saturday, and is happy lining up third for the Monaco GP.
“To beat Lando today was going to be tough. Well done to him. Still pretty happy. It’s been a pretty messy weekend so far so to come out with a lap that I thought was pretty good in third is a decent result.”
Asked if McLaren could get he and Norris to work together on race day, Piastri delivered a cryptic response.
He stated that both were in good positions and highlighted the new pit stop rule in effect for Monaco only. Drivers will need to stop a minimum of two times during the race.
“We have thought about it but a lot depends on where you qualify,” said Piastri.
“We’re in good positions obviously, but it’s still going to be an exciting race tomorrow with the two stops. Let’s see what happens.”
Team-mate Lando Norris starts on pole position, setting a new lap record on the famous streets of Monte-Carlo en route to the accolade.
