Role exchange at McLaren: After the recent wave of success for Oscar Piatri and rather difficult weeks for Lando Norris, the most important qualifying of the year in Monaco is the Brit, which reports back on the pole – while the championship leader still has to be satisfied with third place behind Ferraris Charles Leclerc.
What the McLaren stars unites on Saturday, however, is their unusual approach to qualifying, with two quick rounds on the second and final tire set in Q3: But how did this come about?
“We knew that it would be difficult to get the time out the first time you try, in almost every session, the times have improved,” explains the Brit, with a view to the track evolution, that his team was certain “that it would develop in terms of quality”.
That is why McLaren was “remained with our plan”, which was: “First sentence, a round, then box, and then two again. We thought that is right – and that was obvious too, so of course I am satisfied with our decision,” explains the polesetter.
Piatri: more often on the wall “than in all my career”
Alone: In the end, this game is not so good for teammates Piatri: on the second quick round with the tire set, he can only increase by eleven thousandths, so it remains behind Leclerc and Norris – before his teammate pushes himself forward with the better last shot.
With its qualifying, the World Cup leader is not entirely happy: “To be honest, it was quite challenging until Q3, but I had the feeling that we had the car much better, I was much more satisfied.” However, he admits: “But overall it was simply a very chaotic weekend.”
What Piatri says: “I think I have touched the wall more often this weekend than in my whole career. So it didn’t go smoothly,” the Australian admits that his result is even “quite positive” under these circumstances: “The rounds that I drove at the end of the qualify a little bit. “
Piatri says to his problems: “I just fought with the balance, generally with trust in the car.” Although his company car was now much better for him than on Friday, “but yes, I just had difficulty finding the feeling of last year,” said Piatri, who had rushed into the front row in Monaco twelve months ago.
Although his team “brought in a good position” on time for qualifying, the Piatri, beaten on Saturday, admits: “Now there was definitely a few rounds over the weekend that I would rather drive again.”
Norris happy about a good job: “Today was such a day”
Quite different, of course, the mood on the other side of the garage, with team -mate Norris, who cheered his first pole since the start in Australia: “It means a lot – not only because it was a while ago, but above all because of the last few months in qualifying how things went there.” On Saturdays in particular, Norris struggled, crashed in Dschidda – now the liberation, “of all things in Monaco”, as he says himself.
“Simply cool and special,” says Norris, who speaks of a “fresh mindset”, and explains with a view to Monte Carlo: “It is more difficult because a round here is more demanding, with more excitement, more pressure – but at the same time with the greatest relief if you do a good job.” He is satisfied: “Today was such a day. It means a lot to me and my team, because we worked hard to experience another moment again.”
However, Norris does not want to give specific reasons for his sudden outbreak: “It is probably a mix: things that come from the car, but also simply Monaco, with its completely different layout and a very special driving style that you need here. It is much more about risk and use, less about the perfect vehicle balance,” reveals the McLaren star.
He has worked a lot in the past few weeks “to improve me to do a better job – not because I would not have the pace, but because I just didn’t get it together in Q3,” he explains: “Today was probably the first time since Australia that I really brought everything together.
Breakthrough? Norris: This requires consistency
For him, it is therefore “a very, very good moment”, and the setting in Monaco makes it “more special”, although Norris points out that the first pole would have been important for him everywhere after his long dry spell. However, he does not want to speak of the fact that the knot had only burst again: “If you want to call it a breakthrough, the results are also needed for the results,” Norris stays on the carpet.
The medal clearly has two sides: “Yes, it was a breakthrough because I had a really good Saturday – and that is at least a step in the right direction that I am very happy about”, which he also used, says Norris: “But it’s just a weekend. As I said: Constance is an important part of it.” Only if his performance is at the “high level” on Saturday in the coming weeks can he be really satisfied.
The same behaves for his team: After the defeat against Max Verstappen in Imola, you have to prove in the race that you have really turned the sheet. This is only possible with a lot of detailed work, Norris believes: “It is rare that you make changes overnight that bring you a few tenths.
In addition, it is also a matter of adapting to the weather, the temperature, the temperature, the grip. But we definitely tried to make progress by car, and I think we have made some good steps. How much of it is ultimately reflected in today’s performance is difficult to say. But it is clear: We were quick all weekend. ” And that “on a route that has often not been like that in the past,” praises Norris.
Piatri aid for Norris? “How much do you pay me?”
Whether the World Cup second can really get the target victory in Monte Carlo after 78 rounds on Sunday, which will also depend on the effects of the rule newly introduced for this year with two compulsory box stops. In any case, Norris cannot expect a lot of protecting help, for example from teammate Piatri …
“How much do you pay me?”, The Australian jokes after qualifying as to whether he might also sacrifice himself for his teammate in the strategy game of the McLaren pilots against Ferraris Leclerc? The World Cup leader does not make it surprisingly clear: “I want to win the race too. So let’s see what happens. I think it will be a pretty chaotic Grand Prix.”
The latter is just as aware of Norris as the strong competition, but also away from his stable companion: “It is not only we two – Charles was also fast, Max, too, Lewis too – it is a good starting line -up, strong opponents from all sides”, the McLaren pilot also has to smile a bit, he adds with a view to his pole round: “Of course it makes it a bit better.”
In any case, he did not let himself be put off by the three Leclerc best times in training, but continued to push: “Because we were always close, and I knew that I could get a little more out in a few places to win time.” In this way, he built up more and more self -confidence in the course of qualifying – “that’s exactly what you need here” – and ultimately also demonstrated on McLaren’s great joy on the time monitor.