Marc Priestley believes two Formula 1 drivers with zero points so far this season now have a ‘wonderful’ opportunity to break their ducks after qualifying for the Monaco GP.
Home hero Charles Leclerc topped the Q3 timesheets to best qualifying for the Monaco GP for a third time. But he has only started from pole position once after setting the pace back in 2022. The Ferrari driver would not start from his P1 in 2021 due to breaking his driveshaft.
Leclerc will lead McLaren racer Oscar Piastri and his Scuderia stablemate Carlos Saiz off the line in 2024. Reigning champion Max Verstappen could only claim P6 after running deep at Saint Devote on his final push lap in Q3. Red Bull driver Sergio Perez also bowed out in P18.
Marc Priestley sees a ‘great opportunity’ for Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly in the Monaco GP
But Perez’s plight at the 2024 Monaco GP, added to a Q1 exit for Aston Martin ace Fernando Alonso, opened a door for other drivers to shine. Alex Albon of Williams and Pierre Gasly of Alpine certainly took advantage of their rivals’ woes to reach Q3 for P9 and P10 on the grid.
Circuit de Monte Carlo witnessed Albon and Gasly both reach Q3 for the first time this year. Albon’s best qualifying results over the first seven rounds were at the Saudi Arabian GP and the Australian GP with P12. Gasly set his best qualifying at the Emilia Romagna GP with P15.
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Gasly and Albon will hope their great qualifying efforts for the Monaco GP lead to the Alpine and Williams duo’s first points. The 28-year-olds rank 19th and 17th in the drivers’ standings so far this year as two of the five drivers without any points. But Priestley sees their chance.
“For the likes of Gasly and Albon, what a great opportunity this is,” Priestley told BBC Radio 5 Live. “If you end up in the Q3 session towards the back of that top 10, that’s a wonderful start in the Monaco Grand Prix, and a great opportunity to score points.”
Williams and Alpine will want seasonal-best results
Williams got the tyres in the right window to allow Albon to extract the maximum from their FW46 in qualifying. The Grove natives and London-born Thai also accepted their limits come Q3. He hit the circuit alone in the middle of the last stage to avoid any potential yellow flags.
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Yet Albon’s pace while the track was not at its absolute best was still close to what Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda set for P8. The 24-year-old lapped the Circuit de Monte Carlo in 1:10.858 compared to Albon’s 1:10.948, with Gasly going on to record a 1:11.311 for Alpine.
Albon will now hope to convert his strong qualifying in the Monaco GP, having twice missed out on points by one place. He took P11 in the Saudi Arabian GP and the Australian GP after his previous best qualifying results. Gasly’s best finish with Alpine was P12 in the Miami GP.
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