Nigel Mansell claims McLaren CEO Zak Brown ‘agrees with’ the Formula 1 legend’s prediction for what Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri can achieve at the Monaco GP.
The streets of the Principality will echo with the sound of Formula 1 engines once again this weekend. Monte Carlo welcomes the glitz and glamour of the pinnacle of motorsport for its annual visit. But who climbs to the top step of the podium come Sunday remains a question.
F1 has seen Red Bull and Max Verstappen pick up where they finished 2023 with five wins in seven races. The 26-year-old has also won the first two Sprint events this year. But Carlos Sainz also won the Australian GP for Ferrari and Norris later won the Miami GP for McLaren.
Nigel Mansell says Zak Brown ‘agrees’ that McLaren can fight for pole at the Monaco GP
Norris even threatened to immediately double his career win tally at the Emilia Romagna GP last week. But two wins in two weeks was possibly only one lap away as Verstappen held off the 24-year-old’s late charge. Norris finished the race a mere 0.725 seconds back at Imola.
McLaren watched in hope as Norris ate heaps of time out of Verstappen’s lead after nursing his tyres better. The Woking natives also saw Piastri and Norris battle for pole position. Now, Mansell predicts McLaren to fight for pole again at the Monaco GP and says Brown ‘agrees’.
READ MORE: 7 unforgettable Monaco GP moments from Schumacher to Senna vs Mansell
The 1992 drivers’ champion believes McLaren can fight Red Bull for pole for the Monaco GP as Norris and Piastri have a car to compete with. Norris took his debut victory in F1 in Miami after McLaren brought a B-spec car with their upgrades. Piastri got the full package at Imola.
Mansell told the Express: “I keep in contact with Zak and he agrees with me that it’s going to be possible to get pole position.
“Having had pole position there three times myself, and I love Monaco for what it is, you can really… if you’ve got a car underneath you, you can do some special things there.
“I would think McLaren will be fighting for pole position – as with Red Bull and, of course, as with Ferrari. Ferrari will do something very special there, I’m sure.”
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will head to Monte Carlo hoping to fight Max Verstappen
Mansell took two of his pole positions around Monte Carlo in Formula 1, after winning the qualifying sessions for the 1987 and 1992 Monaco Grand Prix. But he never won around the streets of the Principality, coming closest in 1992 when Ayrton Senna won by a mere 0.215s.
Norris and Piastri will hope they can now put McLaren’s upgrades to good use to claim pole for the 2024 Monaco GP. The papaya squad were 10th and 11th on the grid last year, before finishing the race in P9 and P10. But Norris also finished third in 2021 after qualifying in P5.
READ MORE: The most successful drivers at the Formula 1 Monaco GP of all time
Taking pole in Monte Carlo would go a long way toward setting a career-best result in 2024. Norris has not taken pole position for a Grand Prix since the 2021 Russian GP. Piastri is also yet to score pole for a Grand Prix but was only 0.074s off Verstappen’s P1 lap time at Imola.
Norris was also only 0.091s away from Red Bull ace Verstappen’s pole position Q3 lap for the Emilia Romagna GP. The Briton also started alongside his friend on the front row after Piastri received a three-place grid penalty for impeding. Now, the trio head for Monaco eying pole.
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