Pierre Gasly has had little luck in his career around the streets of Monte Carlo and wishes to change that this weekend and shake what he described as the 'black cat' which has followed him around.
Despite showcasing his talents in the junior categories, the Frenchman has yet to secure a finish higher than seventh, which came in 2014 in the Formula Renault 3.5 series.
During his time in the GP2 series, mistakes often hampered his performances and clashes with other drivers notably with Jordan King in the 2015 sprint race where the pair collided at the Nouvelle chicane, forcing King into a crash down the escape road never helped his pursuit of a good result.
"I’ve never been particularly lucky racing at Monaco in the junior formulas," said Gasly. "I’ve always had a crazy time there, like there’s a black cat on my case. So I hope it’s going to change this year, as it’s a track I really like.
“While I’ve always loved qualifying at Monaco, the races have been a bit of a pain, because it’s very difficult to overtake, so everything depends on strategy and you have to maintain full concentration all the way to the end.
"Even when you think nothing will change, someone can make a mistake in the closing stages and there could be an opportunity, so you have to be ready to take it."
While the 22-year old has yet to enjoy a clean weekend at the principality, he is still aware of the confidence-building process it takes throughout each session over the weekend.
Despite this, the Toro Rosso driver enjoys pushing the envelope within the tight confines of the circuit knowing it is something only the privileged few get to experience.
He added: "It’s a very long race and it can be a bit frustrating because overtaking a car that’s quite a bit slower than you is still not easy, if the driver in front is doing a good job of defending his position, so it’s very complicated.
"They say the driver makes the difference here, but with the nature of the track and the bumps, it’s still important to have a good car, although it is also true that a good driver can go and find those last couple of tenths of a second that matter most.
"You have to be careful as the track evolves over the weekend, so you mustn’t rush at it, but build up gradually, until you are at your fastest for Saturday afternoon. It is a crazy track, with some parts where you go at 300 km/h and on the Monday after the race, people in their cars aren’t even doing 50. So the streets are normally not made for the sort of speeds we travel at, but I love that, it gets the adrenaline going"
