Piastri launching from P2: “I think it’ll be a pretty interesting one”

Throwing team orders out the window, Oscar Piastri will set off to secure his second career victory from second on the grid at the Italian Grand Prix after achieving a McLaren front-row lockout in Monza.

Piastri didn’t get the desired start to his Italian Grand Prix qualifying campaign, locking up at the first chicane, however, avoiding any major flat spots on his soft tyres.

Aborting that lap, the #81’s next run around the circuit rewarded the McLaren driver with a solid 1:20.488s, giving him comfort as he returned to the pitlane.

The session wasn’t completely stress-free, however, with the 23-year-old noted for an unsafe release after charging into Max Verstappen’s pathway in the pitlane.

Unaffected by the moment, the Australian sped away to end Q1 in P3.

“I’ve actually not seen it yet, to be honest, so I need to go check it with the team and see what happens,” Piastri said.

Overly eager to contend for a place in the top ten shootout, Piastri’s teammate was the next victim of the #81’s pitlane antics, rushing out ahead of Norris to start Q2.

Sent out on a fresh set of soft tyres, Piastri and Norris dominated the first haul of attempts to momentarily claim P1 and P2, aided by purple sectors which were divided among themselves. 

The Australian was quick to leave his garage, leading a last-lap charge that ultimately held no substance for the McLaren driver as he advanced with his original time of 1:19.808s.

Coasting down to the first chicane, Piastri led his teammate out of the pitlane to commence a tight deciding Q3 session. 

Putting together a proud 1:19.436s, Piastri secured his place in P2 with a purple middle sector drawing him just three-hundredths behind pole-man Norris.

“I think the car was very strong,” Piastri said. 

“The first lap I did in Q3 was solid. A couple of little things to work on, but, yeah, the second lap just wasn’t as good as it needed to be, really. 

“A similar story in Turn 1, really, and that kind of set the tone for the rest of my lap. 

“Had a big wheel spin out of Turn 1, and it was a bit of a mess from there. Yeah, I just need to tidy it up a little bit at the end. But the car was performing well. 

“I don’t think, after practice, it certainly wasn’t guaranteed to have this result. 

“I think we very easily felt like we could have ended up, you know, seventh or eighth if we didn’t get it quite right. So to come away on the front row is a very good result for the team.”

But as Lando Norris attempts to close down the gap to Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, team orders have been a hot topic of discussion for McLaren.

“That’s our Sunday morning meeting,” Norris said. 

“It’s a little bit… it’s been discussed already, but at the minute it’s free to race, like it always is.”

Having been asked about relinquishing his position to his teammate across the entire weekend, Piastri didn’t have much more to add, saying: 

“We’ve discussed it a bit already, and we will discuss it again tomorrow, I’m sure.”

Start procedures have plagued McLaren over the past few Grands Prix, with the papaya cars both losing out to wheel spin off the line at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend.

Launching from an improved front-row lockout, Piastri will hope his MCL38 won’t let him down, with a smooth run to the first chicane being the first step in maximising the team’s points over Red Bull. 

“Yeah, I mean starting a bit further up the front than last week is definitely a positive for myself,” Piastri said.

“It’s obviously a long run down to Turn 1 so starting second here is not always the worst thing but yeah, let’s see what the tyres do tomorrow. 

“It’s been a little bit different to what we’re used to in Monza, so yeah, it could be a pretty exciting race, and with such a tight field at the front I think it will be very exciting.”

Lights out for the Italian Grand Prix will take place at 11:00 PM, with the levelled field ready to put on a show for the passionate Tifosi. 

Image: Steven Tee / LAT Images

2024 Italian Grand Prix Schedule:

Friday, August 30th:

FP1: 21:30 – 22:30

Saturday, August 31st:

FP2: 01:00 – 02:00

FP3: 20:30 – 21:30

Sunday, September 1st:

Qualifying: 00:00 – 01:00

Race: 23:00

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