'Cooler' Piastri can recover from defeat against Norris.

'Cooler' Piastri can recover from defeat against Norris.

      "In Barcelona, everything will change once more."

      Former Formula 1 driver Mika Salo is optimistic about Oscar Piastri's recovery following a disappointing weekend in Monaco. The Australian still holds the lead in the world championship, but his advantage is now reduced to just three points over his McLaren teammate, as Lando Norris made a strong comeback with a win from pole position after facing challenges in recent months. Piastri recognized that his time in Monaco was not up to par and admitted he struggled to match Norris’ speed. "I think I’ve hit more walls this weekend than in my entire career," Piastri, 24, confessed.

      Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde expressed no surprise at this performance. "Piastri excels on some tracks, but not at all on others," he told Viaplay. "He tends to struggle on street circuits." Nevertheless, Salo believes that Piastri has the capability to quickly recover. "Piastri is the mentally stronger one," he stated. "So it doesn’t bother him too much to lose once.

      "Over the long term, Piastri is mentally much tougher. Norris tends to make more mistakes, while Piastri remains calmer and focuses more on the championship." Salo, 58, refrains from viewing Norris' resurgence in Monaco as a decisive shift in the championship narrative. "Monaco is just different," the Finn noted. "In Barcelona, everything will change again."

      As the McLaren drivers engage in their internal championship rivalry, Max Verstappen is trailing just 25 points behind – which Christian Horner refers to as "one win." Despite only managing to secure P4 on the grid and in the race, Verstappen maintained his composure after the checkered flag in Monaco. "Hopefully, things will improve in Barcelona," the Dutch driver remarked. "Hopefully, the track will be more suitable for our car, and that should be the case. Qualifying seven tenths behind again wouldn’t be ideal," Verstappen joked.

      "But honestly, I'm not thinking about the championship right now," he continued. "I approach it race by race. You know you'll be more competitive on some circuits than others. It was evident that Monaco would be a tougher challenge for us. Given the pace we showed over the weekend, we performed well," Verstappen, 27, said.

      Van der Garde, who has a good understanding of Verstappen, appreciates his mindset. "It's refreshing to see him so grounded," he remarked. "Max realized that the car wasn't strong enough, so he just aimed to get through Monaco smartly and successfully."

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'Cooler' Piastri can recover from defeat against Norris.

Formula 1 | Ex-Formula 1 driver Mika Salo believes that Oscar Piastri will recover from a less-than-stellar weekend in Monaco. The Australian continues to hold the lead in the world (…)