While the Monaco build-up has fixated on Mercedes and Ferrari, the F1 Nation podcast panel issued a reminder that the team which has quietly thrived on these streets should not be overlooked — McLaren.
The Woking outfit return as defending winners, with Lando Norris having converted pole into victory last year. But a messy Canadian Grand Prix, where strategy mistakes wasted a quick car, has nudged them out of the headline conversation.
Host Tom Clarkson set out McLaren's situation, including a notable gamble.
"Lando Norris won the Grand Prix from pole position last year," Clarkson said. "The new front wing didn't work in Montreal. They've already said they're going to run it again in Monaco. They still believe in it. Can Norris do it again, or can Piastri win for the first time?"
Jolyon Palmer argued McLaren's street-circuit pedigree remains intact, built on a car that rides kerbs and bumps without losing composure — the exact trait Monaco rewards.
"They've had a good car in Monaco for the last few years," Palmer said. "Lando won it from pole, and before that you've got Oscar running really quickly as well. Their car again is pretty compliant. That's the key thing you want — some downforce, but you really do need it to be compliant. So I wouldn't rule them out."
James Hinchcliffe conceded the team had drifted off the radar, but said that reflects the depth of the field rather than any McLaren shortfall.
"You almost just sort of forget that McLaren's in this conversation, but they very much are," Hinchcliffe said. "They've got the right power unit. The car has been successful there. The drivers have been successful there."
The result, he suggested, could be a classic Saturday.
"This might be the closest, most competitive qualifying session that we have had all season long," Hinchcliffe said. "And probably one of the most difficult to predict."
The internal storyline is just as rich. Norris knows exactly how to turn Monaco pole into a win, having done it a year ago. Piastri has the raw pace to run at the front here but has never won at the venue, and a maiden Monaco victory would be a defining moment in a season the Australian has spent hunting his breakthrough.
The variable remains that front wing. Its failure in Montreal makes McLaren's decision to run it again at the sport's most punishing track a statement of belief. Get it right, and Palmer's reading of the car's compliance suggests a genuine pole shot. Get it wrong, and McLaren could be left watching on a Saturday where, in Monaco, qualifying so often decides the race.
The panel's message was clear: count McLaren out at your own risk.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/mclaren-defending-monaco-norris-piastri). Visit for full coverage.*
