As heated and competitive as Formula 1 is meant to be, some lighthearted banter was in order after Saturday’s qualifying session in Monaco between front-row men Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.
After securing in dominant fashion his third pole on home soil, Leclerc said that his ‘adopted son’ Oscar Piastri and himself would have “a meeting with my mum” ahead of Sunday’s race.
The backstory, you ask? It all started with a playful exchange on social media between the Ferrari and McLaren drivers.
Piastri, known for his witty presence on the internet, embarked on a mock search for Monegasque ancestry leading up to the race. This followed similar lighthearted claims about feeling "at home" in China and Emilia Romagna due to supposed family ties.
Local hero Leclerc happily entered the fray by offering to “adopt” Piastri, and the Aussie readily accepted the offer, further fueling the social media banter.
Formula 1 itself got in on the act, hilariously listing Piastri as "Oscar Piastri-Leclerc" when sharing Free Practice 1 results online, a display that caught many uninformed fans off-guard.
I can adopt you if needed
— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) May 20, 2024
Guess that’s official then. Submitted the papers @Charles_Leclerc? https://t.co/i1uUWRplWU
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) May 24, 2024
The lightheartedness continued in qualifying when both Leclerc and Piastri secured front-row positions.
Leclerc, now in pole position with Piastri right behind him, jokingly proposed a "family meeting" to discuss their strategy for tackling the crucial first corner of the race.
“I mean we are family,” Leclerc joked in the post-session presser, quote by Speedcafe.
“So starting on the front row, both of us will have a meeting with my mum tonight and I'm sure she will calm us down.
“Hopefully I can get through Turn 1 in the first position and Oscar in the second place!”
Addressing the topic more seriously, Leclerc was confident that he would be able to protect his upper hand with a good launch off the grid.
“We just need to focus on ourselves,” he said. “We can only control what we can do best, and that starts with a good start.
“If we have a good start, I have little doubt that we'll keep that position into Turn 1, and we've had good starts recently, so I'm not too worried.”
Piastri reasoned that the race won’t be “all won” at Ste Devote.
“I might try and bribe your mum to let me go through,” he quipped.
“It's a short run, obviously, and, you know, it is Monaco still, but the race isn't all won and lost at Turn 1.
“There's still some things you can do; you can put pressure on and make the right strategy calls, and it can still get you through.
“So, it's not the be-all and end-all, but it would certainly make life a bit easier.”
Both drivers will have their respective teammate’s – Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris – directly behind them on the grid.
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