Oscar Piastri Targets Victory After Front-Row Start in Monaco
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has set the goal of capitalizing on a good start or strong strategy at the Monaco Grand Prix after securing a front-row grid slot in P2, narrowly missing out on pole position to Charles Leclerc.
Piastri’s Monaco Performance
The 23-year-old Australian driver has impressed in qualifying at the last two races, demonstrating his confidence on challenging circuits. He admits he made some mistakes in his final run, costing him the pole.
“There were just a couple of mistakes at the end, but credit to Charles – he’s been incredibly quick all weekend,” Piastri acknowledged.
Despite qualifying behind Leclerc, Piastri believes he has a chance at the lead, potentially through a quick getaway at the start or through strategic pit stops.
“A good start always helps… and if you can get into the lead, then you can control it very easily around here,” Piastri said. “That is probably the first goal and if not, then the strategy…”
Monaco’s Unique Challenges
Piastri highlighted the unique nature of the Monaco circuit, where commitment and precision are crucial.
“Both [Imola and Monaco] need a lot of commitment… here there’s no gravel trap, it’s just the wall, so they’re both two pretty big commitment tracks,” he said.
The short run to Turn 1 provides a chance to take the lead, while overtaking during the race is notoriously difficult. Piastri anticipates that the outcome could be determined by pit-lane strategy.
McLaren’s Ambitions
McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who qualified in P4, shared Piastri’s positivity despite missing out on the front row.
“Oscar finished second, so he did a good job. He’s been doing a very good job all weekend… As a team, we should be happy with a second and fourth at a street circuit,” Norris said.
The team’s special Ayrton Senna tribute livery for this weekend’s race adds to the significance of Piastri’s potential victory.