Max Verstappen and Red Bull have not been at their dominant best in 2024, as the Dutchman has already been beaten twice. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz beat Verstappen in Australia, while McLaren’s Lando Norris defeated the Red Bull driver in Miami. Both these results give Charles Leclerc the confidence that he, too, can beat Verstappen this weekend and break his Monaco GP curse.
While speaking during F1’s pre-race show, the Monegasque said, “A win is a win. Second, third, or fourth doesn’t really matter to me“. When asked if he is confident of winning this weekend in Monaco after watching both Sainz and Norris beat Verstappen earlier this season, Leclerc replied.
“Exactly. I think we are getting closer. We have improved massively in the last 7-8 months. Now, we are closer to Red Bull than we have ever been in the past two years. That is positive. But we need to keep working“.
Charles Leclerc will have a fantastic opportunity to win in his home race as he starts on pole, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Meanwhile, Verstappen starts all the way down in sixth. Verstappen has given up all hopes of winning this weekend as he knows how difficult it is to overtake at the Monaco GP.
The stats, too, suggest that no driver since the 1970s has won in Monaco from a position lower than fifth on the grid. While it seems that Verstappen will not pose a threat to Leclerc, the Monegasque still needs to be wary of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who starts next to him on the front row.
Charles Leclerc is confident of keeping Oscar Piastri at bay
Oscar Piastri has been mightily impressive ever since his rookie season with McLaren last year. The Australian has already registered a few podiums in his short career so far and will not hesitate to fight Charles Leclerc for the win in Monaco this weekend.
Leclerc, too, is aware of the threat Piastri poses despite never having fought against him for the win. When asked how he feels about facing a new challenge, the Monegasque replied, “He’s a very good driver, so we’ll…to be honest, we really just have to get a good start”.
Leclerc is aware that the start will be the key for him as there are not many possibilities to overtake around the streets of Monaco. Leclerc and Ferrari will also need to be wary of their strategy and the timing of the pit stop.
With Ferrari’s miscommunication over a pit stop having cost Leclerc a win previously in Monaco, the home favorite will certainly not want a repeat of the same. After all, nothing will probably matter to him more than ending the Monaco GP curse and winning a race finally in front of his home fans.
