29/05/2024
NEWS STORY
Following a "tricky race" that only offered him one serious opportunity, Oscar Piastri admits that the Monaco Grand Prix was effectively lost on Saturday afternoon.
Indeed, look no further than the fact that the leading ten drivers finished the race in exactly the same order as they'd started two hours and twenty-four minutes earlier.
Asked if he saw qualifying - in which he lost out by only 0.154s - was a missed opportunity, the Australian said: "Yeah... but, to be honest, Charles has been mega all weekend and they've been quick from the very first lap.
"I think it would have taken something pretty special in quali to out-do them," he added. "The opportunity was almost there but it would have taken probably the best lap of my life.
"I'm happy with P2," he insisted, "a good result for the team, I'm very, very happy."
It was a long afternoon, with much of the focus on strategy.
"It was a tricky race," he admitted. "The pace at the beginning was incredibly slow. I had one little half look before the tunnel, but didn't have... I didn't have a small enough car to fit into the gap.
"Thanks to the whole team, it's been a great weekend all round, and nice to finally put a result on the board. I feel like we've been very strong for the last few weekends but didn't really have the result to show for it, so it's nice to have a podium, and what better place?
"It's nice to put a result on the board. A good result for the team again, and yeah... very, very happy."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Monaco here.