Monaco is arguably the circuit where the skill of a driver matters more than anywhere else. Car performance still plays a big part in results, of course, but there’s room for some individual magic.
Indeed, multiple drivers stood out during Saturday’s qualifying session. It’s impossible to ignore pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, who remained the class of the field after dominating the practice sessions.
Behind him, Oscar Piastri was the second-fastest driver on a Saturday once again as he finished a tenth and a half adrift. Piastri didn’t have to worry about losing his grid slot this time, having been hit with a three-place penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen at Imola.
Elsewhere, George Russell bagged his best qualifying result since the first race of the season in fifth. Surprisingly, he’ll start ahead of struggling championship leader Max Verstappen.
Yuki Tsunoda made it three consecutive Q3 appearances in his RB, and six in the last seven races. But Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly achieved that feat for the first time this season as they secured fifth-row starting positions.
Jenson Button and Martin Brundle applaud Oscar Piastie at Monaco Grand Prix
Piastri won praise from Sky Sports F1 duo Martin Brundle and Jenson Button after the session. It was only the second time this year he’d beaten Lando Norris in qualifying, the first at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix back in early March.
There were signs that the result was coming for the Australian. He was second in FP1, Q1 and Q2, and then pulled out the lap when it really mattered.
The 23-year-old will now go in search of a third career podium, and surely his most prestigious yet. While it will be extremely difficult to beat the dominant Leclerc on a circuit where overtaking is nearly impossible, Button says his ‘aggressive’ driving will stand him in good stead.
“Piastri fully deserves his front-row grid start,” Brundle said in commentary. “Of that there’s no doubt. He’s really been flying around here.”
Button later added: “He’s aggressive. I like that about Oscar. We saw that in Miami didn’t we? Aggressive at the start, aggressive on the first couple of laps.”
McLaren boss reveals talks with Oscar Piastri over key driving weakness
Piastri has shown flashes of brilliance since he made his Formula 1 debut at the start of last year. Most notably, he won the Qatar Sprint in 2023, one of only two instances all season where Red Bull failed to take the chequered flag.
He also went on to finish second behind Verstappen in the main Grand Prix, following up his third-place finish at the previous race in Japan. His goal this year will be to turn those moments into consistently elite form.
And one area that he has to work on if he’s to do that is tyre management. McLaren CEO Zak Brown has cited it as one of his ‘inconsistencies’ compared to newly-crowned race-winner Norris.
Speaking on Friday, team principal Andrea Stella revealed that the team had held discussions with Piastri over one of his few weaknesses. They’ve noticed a clear improvement in his treatment of the Pirelli rubber in recent races.
Piastri was on for a podium in Miami before an ill-timed safety car and a collision with Carlos Sainz (for which the latter was penalised) spoiled his race. He could also have been the driver challenging Verstappen at Imola without his penalty.
Lewis Hamilton feels that he’s been doing a ‘great job’ this season and has simply been ‘unlucky’ in recent races. F1’s youngest driver will hope his Monaco qualifying result marks a turning of the tide.
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