Billy Monger thinks Oscar Piastri will be ‘kicking himself’ after one thing the McLaren driver did during qualifying for the 2024 Japanese GP after securing P6 this Saturday.
The 23-year-old will start Sunday’s race from the third row on Piastri’s return to the venue of his debut podium. McLaren saw the Australian stand on a rostrum for the first time in F1 last September in third place. Teammate Lando Norris joined him on Suzuka’s podium in second.
Piastri secured his debut podium six months ago after qualifying second to race-winner Max Verstappen. But Norris quickly jumped ahead of the Melbourne native and his superior tyre management meant he regained P2 when McLaren’s strategy let Piastri undercut the Briton.
Oscar Piastri qualified P6 for the Japanese GP with McLaren teammate Lando Norris in P3
Piastri now faces a tougher challenge if the Australian is to return to Suzuka’s podium at the 2024 Japanese GP. He qualified in P6, as Norris sealed another third-place start in the Land of the Rising Sun. Red Bull sealed a front-row lock-out with Verstappen leading Sergio Perez.
Verstappen topped qualifying with a 1:28.197 in Q3 to fend off Perez by only 0.066 seconds. Norris came home in third, 0.292s down on the Dutchman’s pole position run, but ahead of Ferrari exile Carlos Sainz, Aston Martin ace Fernando Alonso and McLaren teammate Piastri.
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Piastri posted a 1:28.760 in Q3 to trail Norris by 0.271s, Sainz by only 0.078s and Alonso by just 0.074s. His time also edged the 1:28.760 lap that Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes set in Q3 with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top 10.
Billy Monger feels Oscar Piastri will be ‘kicking himself’ for his Q3 deficit to Lando Norris
Given the minor margins in the battle to be the best of the rest behind Red Bull in qualifying for the Japanese GP, Monger feels Piastri will be ‘kicking himself’ to let Norris emerge as the lead McLaren driver by 0.271s. He thinks more was on offer for the Australian this Saturday.
“Definitely, Lando had a really strong qualifying,” Monger said on Channel 4 (6/4, 12:26). “I think it was always going to be tight in that battle behind Red Bull.
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“We expected Red Bull to have the edge and we expected the Astons, the Ferraris, the Mercedes [and] the McLarens all to be in that huddle. And I think Lando got it right and Oscar will probably be kicking himself a little bit. He probably left a little bit on the table.”
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