The Australian will start third, behind team-mate Lando Norris and pole-sitter Max Verstappen, who set the fastest lap in F1 history with a 1:18.792.
The Temple of Speed once again produced a fiercely competitive qualifying session, with only eight tenths separating the top ten in Q3, while the same margin separated the entire field during Q1.
Piastri acknowledged the challenge of Monza for McLaren, explaining that the results were expected given the competitiveness of the weekend.
“Turn 1 was a little bit average, but the rest of the lap all felt pretty tidy,” he said of his lap. “I feel like I executed a pretty good session.
“You know, built up to it a little bit at the start, and found my feet, but I think it’s just been incredibly tight this weekend.
“Max and Red Bull looked quick this weekend. I mean, to be honest, a lot of teams looked quick. It’s not been quite as comfortable for us.
“So the results not a big surprise. But obviously, we’d love to be a little bit further up.”
The 24-year-old, who comes into the Italian Grand Prix holding a 34-point lead over Norris following the Brit’s late retirement at Zandvoort last weekend, said he wasn’t focusing on tomorrow’s race as purely ‘damage limitation’ by starting behind his teammate.
He stressed that even when McLaren aren’t on pole, the opportunity to fight for wins remains very much alive.
“When you’re on the lap, you’re going for it, and you’re going for pole, you don’t know what anyone else is going to be able to pull off,” he explained.
“So in the moment, yes, you’re going flat out. I think, you know, obviously afterwards it creeps in a little bit. But there’s still a long way to go.
“I’ll try to make up some spots tomorrow, because I’d like a few more wins if I can.”
The Italian Grand Prix begins at 3pm local time Sunday (11pm AEST).
Discussion about this post