Oscar Piastri told by F1 champion what he’s ‘got to’ do at the Monaco Grand Prix to sustain his F1 championship chances

Oscar Piastri heads into the Monaco Grand Prix as the championship leader, but that advantage could be slashed depending on where his rivals finish.

Lando Norris will start the race from pole after snatching the fastest lap away from home hero Charles Leclerc in the dying moments of qualifying, setting a new lap record in the process.

McLaren sent both their drivers out for two laps at the end of Q3 instead of one, which Andrea Stella claimed was ‘critical’ to their Monaco qualifying success over Leclerc.

Leclerc had led every practice session leading up to qualifying in an unexpected turnaround for Ferrari, but when it came down to setting a pole lap, his first attempt was spoiled by traffic which impacted his final run.

Piastri also missed out and will start on the second row alongside Max Verstappen, who was promoted after a penalty for Lewis Hamilton. Discussing the grid order on BBC Radio 5 Live, former F1 driver Damon Hill believes Piastri must focus on one thing during the Monaco GP to keep his title hopes alive.

Damon Hill tells Oscar Piastri what he must do to sustain title challenge

A win for Norris would put him within four points of Piastri in the championship, while Verstappen will also be looking to replicate his Imola start in St Devote to steal more potential points away from the Australian.

Hill believes Piastri will need to think about the long term and score good points in Monaco if he wants to take the advantage in the title race heading into the European rounds.

“The fact of the matter is now we’re thinking about a world championship, these drivers know it’s not just about Monaco,” said Hill.

“Oscar Piastri knows he’s got to maintain his advantage over his team-mate[Lando Norris] as the world championship could depend on it.”

Oscar Piastri admitted he is thinking about title chances too early

Piastri took the lead of the Drivers’ Championship after taking his third win of the season at Bahrain and went on to win again in Miami, taking four wins in six races.

The Australian has looked like the most confident after a few lacklustre races from Norris, while Piastri has also dealt with Verstappen on track without any issues.

Piastri has said that he is thinking about the title too early, admitting that he needs to focus on executing every weekend perfectly.

He would be the first Australian since Alan Jones in 1980 and only the third man from the country to win it, ending Verstappen’s four-year run of success.