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Oscar Piastri excited to drive Monaco in 'incredible' livery

Oscar Piastri will compete in his first Monaco Grand Prix this weekend. 

Australian Oscar Piastri returns to Monaco where he has stood on the podium before.

The McLaren rookie twice stood on the podium in the principality in 2021, on his way to winning the Formula 2 drivers' championship.

He returns to the famous street circuit as a Formula 1 driver and says preparation for his first Monaco Grand Prix has gone well.

Despite some promising performances, Piastri has only been able to finish in a points-scoring position once this year.

But the 22-year-old from Melbourne says he is growing in confidence.

"Preparation for the race has gone well with plenty of simulator work and I'm learning more and more in every session behind the wheel," he said.

"As a team, we are fully focused on making the steps forward to develop more performance out of the car."

Piastri's 2021 performance around Monaco in his F2 car set him up for a charge at the championship.

Across the three races F2 held that weekend, Piastri finished second twice and eighth.

It was a solid haul of points for the Australian, who was on the verge of winning his third consecutive championship, after winning Formula 3 and Formula Renault in 2020 and 2019.

"I'm looking forward to this weekend's race as I return to Monaco for the first time since my double podium during the 2021 F2 Championship,' he said.

"It will be an interesting and enjoyable challenge to tackle the Monte Carlo circuit in an F1 car."

McLaren will be running a special livery for the Monaco Grand Prix.

McLaren will be running a special Triple Crown livery in the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. (Twitter: @McLarenF1)

Called the Triple Crown (a reference to motor racing's three biggest races — Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500 and the 24 hours of Le Mans), it celebrates McLaren's 60th anniversary of racing.

The multi-colour look is a tribute to victories the team has had in all three races.

"The Triple Crown livery looks incredible, and I can't imagine a better way to experience my first Monaco Grand Prix as a Formula 1 driver," Piastri said.

"Bruce McLaren was a winner in Monte Carlo in 1962 and the McLaren team have such rich history at the Monaco Grand Prix.

"I will feel incredibly proud lining up on the grid in the MCL60, carrying the same colours as the three Triple Crown-winning race cars."

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