Australia’s Oscar Piastri says he doesn’t know if his McLaren will be more competitive at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, after a horror showing last time out in Miami.
Piastri and teammate Lando Norris had a miserable race in the United States, with McLaren the slowest of the 10 teams. Piastri finished 19th after being slowed by brake problems, while Norris could only manage 17th.
McLaren brought a significant upgrade to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the end of April, although team bosses have been very clear in admitting the car is nowhere near where they want it to be, with further upgrades planned for later in the season.
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Asked if he expected a better showing at Monaco, Piastri was playing down expectations.
“We obviously hope that the car is more competitive but we’ll only find out when we get to the track,” he told Wide World of Sports.
“We were clearly struggling for pace in the Miami heat and the field is extremely tight behind the first few positions, so it doesn’t take much to leave you in a tough spot.
“The unique layout and cooler temperatures around Monaco may throw up a few different opportunities.”
The teams have had an extra week to prepare for Monte Carlo after floods forced the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, a decision Piastri described as “totally understandable”.
He heads to the streets of Monaco seeking just his second points finish of the season, which has so far been hampered by car issues and plain bad luck.
“I’ve encountered a few race issues which have hampered my results,” he admitted.
“That said, every one of those situations has been an opportunity for me to learn and keep building my knowledge and that’s definitely going to help me in the long run because every lap, every session I do, I’m gaining experience.”
Monaco is followed seven days later by the Spanish Grand Prix, two tracks where Piastri won in the junior categories. He’s unlikely to be at the pointy end of the grid this time around, but the 22-year-old says the team is pulling out all the stops to unlock extra speed from the car.
That’s seen a reorganisation of the staff under new team principal Andrea Stella, including the departure of the former technical director James Key.
“I’ve seen the massive effort going on back at MTC (McLaren Technology Centre) to get us further up the grid and the team has been amazing with me since I joined,” Piastri said.
“It’s well documented that the team aren’t satisfied with the start to the year, technical changes have been made, and Woking is extremely motivated to turn things around.”
The Melburnian, who won the F3 and F2 titles in consecutive years on the way to Formula 1, has matched up well against teammate Norris, a highly-rate 23-year-old who already has 87 races under his belt.
Piastri is the only one of the three rookies in F1 this season to have scored points so far, despite the car’s lack of pace.
His performances this season have already seen team boss Zac Brown label Piastri a future world champion.
“There are always things to learn and improve on, but I’m gaining more and more experience all the time,” Piastri said.
“Bearing that in mind, I’m absolutely getting the most out of the car and the situation at this point which I’m happy with.
“Lando is in his fifth season and I’ve only done five races,” he added.
“It’s great that there hasn’t been too much between us because that helps us, as a team, capitalise on any opportunities.
“He’s been great with me and we are working together really positively so hopefully we can keep pushing each other.
“After a year out in 2022, I’m loving being in that environment again.”
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