Oscar Piastri had a less brilliant weekend than usual in Monaco. According to Stella, the Australian struggled to find consistent speed, partly due to a certain nervousness in his MCL39. But third place remains a valuable result in the race for the title.
Four wins in eight Grands Prix is the record of the Formula 1 World Championship leader, Oscar Piastri. Quiet, reserved, yet lethal for his rivals, in the first third of the season the McLaren driver has been — based on the data — the best of all in a year in which the MCL39 has become the performance benchmark of the championship.
Four victories (China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Miami) delivered under the radar but relentless. After such a start, the Monaco weekend saw a Oscar Piastri more in difficulty than in the previous seven rounds.
First came a mistake at Sainte Devote, then a less sparkling qualifying compared to Lando Norris, who returned to prominence after several races playing second fiddle, overwhelmed by a spectacularly in-form Piastri (with both in equal machinery).
However, the third place achieved in Monaco by the Australian can be interpreted in different ways. The most obvious view is that it was a disappointing result compared to his previous outings. But there are those who see him up close almost all year — namely Andrea Stella.
The McLaren team principal gave a more precise account of the weekend of the talent snatched from Alpine. According to the Italian manager, Oscar Piastri was fast even on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, but what was lacking was consistency.
“Lando was definitely very quick, as I mentioned before, basically right from the first lap of free practice. With Oscar, we had moments of great speed. Moments, if we can call them that, of great speed. But this year, unlike last year, Oscar struggled to maintain the rhythm. Let’s say, to keep the pace.”
“Sometimes he struggled a bit with the car. Especially due to a certain nervousness of the car at low speed. And that’s also why, even in qualifying, it took him a while to get up to speed. And he took a small step back compared to the potential he could have shown. So, more than outright speed, I think what he lacked over the weekend was consistency of speed.”
In a season that still features 24 races, winning the title requires maximising results even when things don’t go perfectly. According to Andrea Stella, Oscar Piastri’s third place in Monaco is the classic “patch” over a more complex situation than usual, but one that could ultimately prove decisive in the fight for the most coveted prize.
“I think there are some things for Oscar to review, but overall it was a very positive weekend. With both Lando and Oscar we always say that championships are built on consistency. So, when you’re not as fast as you’d like, stay there. Sometimes you won’t win, but you’ll still be there. And that’s what Oscar managed to do,” Andrea Stella concluded.
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