Shop
The ‘brothers’ qualified on the front row together, Leclerc on pole ahead of Piastri, following an exchange on social media in which the Monaco-native offered to adopt his rival.
Heading into the event, Piastri joked that he was searching through his family tree for any Monegasque heritage.
It follows tongue-in-cheek posts where he’s claimed his heritage made the Chinese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix home events, of sorts.
That prompted Leclerc’s response offering to adopt the Australian, which the McLaren driver gleefully accepted.
Formula 1 then got in on the joke, listing Piastri as ‘Oscar Piastr-Leclerc’ when it posted the results of Free Practice 1 to social media.
After they locked out the front row in qualifying on Saturday, Leclerc then suggested they’d have a family meeting about how they tackle the opening corner in today’s race.
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
“I mean we are family,” Leclerc joked when asked how he’d tackle the opening corner 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!”
That was followed by an amusing exchange with third-placed Carlos Sainz, Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate.
“Do you want me to adopt you as well? Don’t be jealous, Carlos,” the pole sitter jested.
“I need a haircut from your mom here. I need to find a new hairdresser in Monaco,” responded his Spanish colleague.
Leclerc then added: “Whenever you want. Whenever you want. I think she has availability. And she will find some for you, for sure!”
Getting series, the pole sitter noted the short run from the grid to Sainte Devote and the importance of a good start
“We just need to focus on ourselves,” he reasoned.
“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 too noted the short run and, while perhaps the best opportunity to make progress, that it wasn’t the only option.
“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.”
With Sainz third, Piastri’s McLaren team-mate Lando Norris will start fourth, opening the potential for both teams to employ their second cars strategically.
The Monaco Grand Prix begins at 15:00 local time (23:00 AEST).
