McLaren and Ferrari have clearly closed the gap to Red Bull this season, especially in the recent races. Lando Norris emerged victorious in Miami, while Piastri secured second place in a processional race in Monaco. Throughout the season, both McLaren cars have consistently performed well.
Despite not being able to overtake in the Monaco Grand Prix, Piastri closely followed race winner Charles Leclerc, who brought glory to Ferrari, with Piastri finishing in second place.
After the race in Monte Carlo, reporters asked Piastri if McLaren had the potential to win in the remaining 16 races of the 2024 F1 Calendar. Piastri replied: “I believe so. The last three races have been on very different circuits, and we have been competitive in all of them. Miami has always been one of our historically weaker circuits, but this year we had a strong performance there. Imola has always favored us, and we had a great weekend there as well. Even in the slow corners, where our car traditionally hasn’t been the strongest, we showed great speed this weekend.”
Piastri also expressed confidence in the team, stating: “We can have confidence no matter where we go. We no longer need to rely solely on high-speed circuits to get results, which is incredibly exciting. The competition is incredibly tight, especially this weekend. We entered qualifying knowing that any of the four teams could secure pole position, something we haven’t been able to say in a while. So, I definitely believe we can be in the fight every weekend.” These words were declared by 23-year-old Piastri.
Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal, also expressed optimism, saying: “This is an important result for us in Monaco, with Oscar securing an impressive podium and Lando right behind him. We weren’t sure how our car would perform on this circuit, so it’s a significant achievement. Not only does it bring us a lot of points, but it also shows that we can consistently fight for podiums. We approach the upcoming races with optimism.”
After the Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren currently holds the third position in the Constructors’ Championship, behind Red Bull and Ferrari. At this point last year, they were in sixth place. Norris currently holds the third position and Piastri is in sixth place in the drivers’ points table.
