Piastri: It needed 'something pretty special' to beat Leclerc
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri admitted that it was always going to be next to impossible to beat Charles Leclerc in today's Monaco Grand Prix, and that ultimately there had simply been no way past the Ferrari on Sunday.
Piastri had qualified in P2 on Saturday, meaning that he started alongside Leclerc on the front row, giving him one chance to take the lead in the run through Saint Devote and up Beau Rivage.
But Leclerc got a strong launch leaving Piastri fighting off a challenge from Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari. Contact between them left Sainz with a puncture and Piastri with light floor damage to the MCL38.
The race was red flagged after a major accident toward the back, giving Piastri a second shot at challenging Leclerc into turn 1, but once again the Ferrari was too strong and Piastri has to accept second place.
With the leaders having changed to hard tyres during the stoppage that allowed them to run to the finish without further pit stops, there were no further opportunities for Piastri to pass Leclerc.
"The pace at the beginning was incredibly slow and I had one little half look before the tunnel, but I didn't have a small enough car to fit into a gap," Piastri said in parc ferme.
"Tricky race," he admitted, reflecting that things might have been different if only he's managed to pip Leclerc in qualifying which would have put him ahead on the road for those crucial two starts.
"To be honest, Charles has been mega all weekend and they've been quick from the very first lap, and I think it would have taken something pretty special in quali to out do him.
"The opportunity was almost there but it would have taken probably the best lap of my life, so I'm happy with P2."
Even though he had been denied his chance of a maiden F1 Grand Prix win, Piastri was still happy to realise his potential after missing out in the most recent races in Miami and Imola.
"We've been very strong for the last few weekends but didn't really have the results to show for it, so it's nice to have a podium - and what better place?" he said. "Nice to put a result on the board.
"A good result for the team again, and yeah - very, very happy."
Norris previously clinched his own maiden F1 win in Miami and was on the podium again in Imola, but this time had to settle for fourth place at the chequered flag in Monaco behind his good friend Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari.
"Carlos had way more pace every time he wanted to push," he said, noting that Sainz had successfully held him up on track and backed him up toward George Russell.
"A bit of a shame, we had no strategy to accomplish," he said in the paddock. "It was just hard tyres until the end. At least if there were some pit stops maybe something could have come of it, but [there] never was.
“Mentally it’s still draining and you’re still pushing, you’re just pushing to a much lower limit.
"I don’t think it really changed anything, [it was] just never the most exciting race," Norris said. “Honestly, I don’t think that would have changed anything. It is what it is.
Despite the frustration with Monaco's processional nature, Norris said that it was "always a pleasure to drive around here, and I think a great result for us as a team still with a second and fourth
"I think every race we do we gain more confidence in that kind of thing," he added. “The team are doing a fantastic job, we were ahead of Red Bull this weekend clearly but maybe a little bit behind Ferrari.
"We’re still there, we’re still getting a lot of points and still a big points haul for today, so we’re happy with that," he insisted.
"I’ll just keep pushing, because I think everyone’s doing a very good job. We’ll keep at it, the team are doing amazing and hopefully we can keep chipping away.”
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