McLaren: Hats off to Ferrari and Leclerc

F1 Grand Prix, GP Monaco, Monte Carlo Circuit

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella praised his former team Ferrari and Charles Leclerc after the Monegasque secured his first victory on home soil in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri displayed a brilliant performance in qualifying once again, securing P2 on the grid for Sunday's Monaco race.

The Australian had a great getaway both at the first start and the restart to maintain second position, but he was unable to challenge Charles Leclerc for the win, and he ultimately dropped back from the Monegasque in the dying stages of the tactical race.

"That was a tricky race. The pace at the beginning was incredibly slow. I had half a look before the tunnel but didn’t have a car small enough to fit through the gap.

"Thanks to the whole team who have worked so hard. It’s been a great weekend all around, and what better place to get a result like that than Monaco. It’s special to achieve a podium in Senna’s colours, too, given his incredible record around these streets," added Piastri.

His team-mate Lando Norris had a quite day behind the wheel of his MCL38 as he started from third spot on the grid which limited his chances during the race.

With the first lap incident bringing out the red flag, the majority of the field elected not to pit during the race and stay out on the the same set of tyres instead. As a result, Norris did not even have a strategic opportunity to improve his position.

“A good team result. A lot of points on the board, which is exactly what we wanted. But as we expected, there were no opportunities to move forward, especially after the Red Flag at the beginning.

"It was unlucky that we got put down to fourth again after the first start, that would have been lovely! But there wasn’t a lot we could do on a day like today. We stayed in there, got good points for the team, and that’s the main thing.”

Andrea Stella was happy to see the team's MCL38 prove quick on a very different track, but he first praised the trackside group of his team for having excelled operationally in crucial moments.

"Hats off to Ferrari and Charles Leclerc, they’ve been quick all weekend and deserved the victory," Stella started his post-race debrief.

"For us, well done to the entire team for delivering a fast car, and to the trackside team, for being always on the ball, managing some intense operational moments this weekend – from clearing Lando’s car of debris during Qualifying, to dealing with a difficult Red Flag situation today.

"It’s an important result here in Monaco, with Oscar scoring an impressive podium and Lando right behind on a circuit that we weren’t certain would suit our car. It’s a lot of points – but also evidence that we can be regular contenders for the podium. We look at the coming races with optimism," Stella said.