Oscar Piastri faces the reality of playing a supporting role in Formula One’s most prestigious race, as McLaren encountered challenges in their milestone 1,000th Grand Prix.
Mercedes’ rising star, Antonelli, clinched pole position with a razor-thin margin of just 0.043 seconds on Saturday. He navigated the iconic street circuit with precision, outpacing legendary competitors Max Verstappen, who clocked in at 1 minute 12.094 seconds in his Red Bull, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who posted a time of 1:12.279.
For McLaren, the weekend has been a sobering return to the drawing board, as they had hoped for a standout performance to mark their historic event.
On a track notorious for its overtaking difficulties, McLaren’s drivers face the likelihood of a challenging and potentially unrewarding race on Sunday. Current Monaco titleholder Lando Norris, with a wry grin, confessed he was already looking forward to the upcoming race in Barcelona next week.
Piastri, who had a close encounter with the wall during the tight second qualifying session, wasn’t taken aback by McLaren’s underwhelming performance, particularly after they lagged more than a second behind their primary competitors in Friday’s practice sessions.
Oscar Piastri cut a dejected figure (pictured) after qualifying seventh for the Monaco Grand Prix as McLaren lagged far behind the frontrunners
Piastri believes he is in for a tough time on the circuit, which is famous for offering drivers next to no chances to overtake
‘It’s been a long time since we’ve been a second off on genuine pace,’ he shrugged.
‘So yesterday was tough. I think we made the car better, and the balance was nicer today, but it was still half-a-second off.
‘While we’ve made some progress since Friday and improved the balance of the car, we’re still lacking the speed.
‘Looking ahead to the race, we have to be realistic. This circuit is notoriously difficult for overtaking, and we don’t expect that to change.’
Antonelli, who’d earlier on Saturday signalled his intentions by finishing quickest in third practice after a disappointing Friday session, will now be a warm favourite for a fifth grand prix triumph in a row on Sunday.
That’s a feat only Verstappen and Hamilton have achieved among current drivers, while the Italian is in a strong position to extend his championship lead of 43 points over teammate Russell.
Verstappen, after a season of moans about F1’s new look, sounded much more chipper, noting of his drive that’s got him on the front row: ‘Once you get on top of it and get a clean lap out of it, especially in qualifying you’re flat-out and on the limit, it’s very rewarding when it goes well.’
Ferrari will be disappointed to have missed what felt like a golden opportunity, with Hamilton third and local hero Charles Leclerc fourth in 1:12.351, although the Monegasque’s car needed some repairs after he clipped a barrier on his final run.
The Aussie (pictured in Monaco) currently sits sixth in the drivers’ standings with 48 points – far behind leader and pole sitter Kimi Antonelli on 131
Piastri’s McLaren was more than half a second off the pace of Antonelli’s Mercedes
Hamilton, whose girlfriend Kim Kardashian made her first appearance in the F1 paddock on Saturday to add more glamour to the glitzy Monaco circus, still felt he was in line to complete the ‘impossible’ dream by earning his maiden Ferrari victory and the 106th win of his career.
‘I probably need rain, but nothing’s impossible,’ he shrugged. ‘I’ll try to get in there and hassle these two (Antonelli and Verstappen) as much as I can and force them into not making certain corners.’
Antonelli saved his inspired best for last to ensure Mercedes have taken pole for every grand prix this season, and the young championship leader couldn’t stop beaming.
‘It was one of those laps that we call a magic lap. I was able to put it all together,’ he smiled, having put on a particularly notable display considering teammate and title rival George Russell could only finish sixth.
While Verstappen was buoyed by his Red Bull’s performance, his teammate Isack Hadjar backed him up by finishing fifth quickest.