Coming into the weekend, McLaren was seen as the favourite for pole position and the win in Monte Carlo, thanks to the MCL39’s strengths in slower corners—one of the defining features of the Monaco circuit. That confidence had also been voiced by Oscar Piastri in Thursday’s interviews, when he suggested McLaren would be the team to beat.
Yet, the first day on the narrow streets of the Principality ended not with McLaren on top, but with a surprisingly fast Ferrari. It was an unexpected result, especially considering that Ferrari’s drivers had expressed some concerns about their performance in slower sections ahead of the weekend.
Those concerns, in fact, proved valid, because in the slowest corners the MCL39 remains the benchmark in the fight at the top—particularly in sector two, which features several low-speed corners. However, the British car struggles both on the straights, where Ferrari seems to have an edge in power, and in the faster corners like Tabac or the Swimming Pool section.
Overall, the day for both McLaren drivers seemed to be marked by several mistakes, echoing past difficulties in maximizing the car’s potential over a single lap when pushing to the limit. This was pointed out by Oscar Piastri himself, who didn’t hide the fact that, even from a driving standpoint, it had been a day filled with errors.
The most obvious of these was at the first braking zone, where he missed his braking point in an area with several bumps, running wide into the barriers. Fortunately, Oscar Piastri managed to angle the car so that the front wing absorbed the entire impact, avoiding suspension damage and allowing him to continue the session.
Nonetheless, there were various small errors throughout the session, and on a track where confidence carries significant weight, it will be crucial to find the right feeling in order to piece together the perfect lap. McLaren remains a contender for pole—though the possibility of rain adds uncertainty.
Oscar Piastri didn’t hide that after a day full of errors, he feels the need for a mental reset to put Friday’s difficulties behind him and rediscover the rhythm that might allow him to nail that perfect lap—one that eluded him last year.
In 2024, combining his best sector times, the Australian would have had pole-worthy pace, but on a track like Monaco, where every lap differs from the last, the secret lies in finding the best possible compromise.
“It was a complicated day, full of ups and downs. When we manage to put everything together, the pace is good, but at the moment it’s hard to do that. So there are a few things to review, especially on my side—I made several mistakes. I need to reset for tomorrow because I think we have the speed,” Oscar Piastri said at the end of the day during interviews.
“Clearly Ferrari looks much more competitive than in other weekends, but I think today was more of a personal issue: it was a bit of a chaotic day. But we can learn a lot, and I believe tomorrow will be a very interesting day.”
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