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Oscar Piastri will start the 2024 Italian Grand Prix from P2 on the grid; alongside pole winner and teammate Lando Norris, the pair locked out the front row for McLaren and set themselves up as favourites to win on Sunday afternoon at Monza.
It would be fair if Piastri took credit for pushing Norris higher than he ever was by other teammates. As a result, Norris has raised his game, with Oscar chasing as he did on Saturday. He was only a tenth shy of his more experienced driver in the sister car. But still enough to annex P2 on the grid ahead of a very tight pack.
The gap in Monza F1 Qualifying on Saturday between Piastri and his Lando in P1 was the same as the gap to the sixth-fastest driver on the timing sheets today at the end of Q3. For Norris, it’s his third F1 pole position start, while Piastri missed out on what would have been his first top spot start for a Grand Prix.
Clearly tired of playing second fiddle to Norris, speaking after the qualifying at Monza, Piastri summed up: “The first lap in Q3 was quite good, just the second one, not quite enough, which I feel like I’ve said a few too many times this year.”
Oscar: There was no guarantee of a front-row lockout
But Piastri cheered up: “Still a good performance and a really good team effort. The field’s been incredibly tight this weekend. There was no guarantee of a front-row lockout for us. So, an amazing effort to be able to pull that off.”
As for starting P2 for the 75th edition of the Grand Pix in Italy, Paistri said: “Starting a bit further up the front than last week [at Zandvoort] is definitely a positive for me. It’s obviously a long run down to turn one, so starting second here is not always the worst thing.
“Let’s see what the tires do. It’s been a little bit different from what we’re used to in Monza. With such a tight field at the front, I think it will be very exciting,” predicted Piastri.
McLaren would celebrate 50 one-two Grand Prix victories in their illustrious, should Norris and Piastri repeat what they did in Hungary on Sunday, this time in Italy.
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