Oscar Piastri felt he was “in a good place” at the end of Friday’s sessions at Spa-Francorchamps, labeling his opening day of running as “really, really strong”.
The Aussie clocked in second at the end of FP1, but over half a second behind pace-setter Max Verstappen.
However, he significantly improved his performance in FP2 after another solid workout, ending up just two tenths behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris as the pair topped second practice for team papaya.
“Strong day, definitely,” commented Piastri after FP2n, quoted by Speedcafe.
“FP1 we looked reasonably quick. FP2 I think we got stronger. I feel like we're in a good place.
“It's been a very smooth day and we've gone through everything we wanted to and learned as much as we could, so feeling good.
“The weather's probably going to mean that's useless tomorrow, but no, really, really strong first day.”
Indeed, while drivers enjoyed the luxury of a dry day on Friday, forecasts are calling for rain at Spa on Saturday which would certainly spice up proceedings in qualifying.
However, a strong performance by McLaren in the grid-defining session would virtually guarantee Norris and Piastri a front-row start and a strong opportunity to extend their team’s winning form as Verstappen will launch his race ten places lower than where he qualifies due to the Red Bull driver’s engine penalty.
©McLaren
“It's better than if he were starting at the front,” Piastri admitted, although the 23-year-old isn’t dismissing a comeback drive by the championship leader.
“I don't think you can count him out. It's a track they've been very quick at in the last couple of years,” he added.
“They look quick this weekend again, so I'm expecting him to make progress through the field. But having a little bit of a head start, hopefully, will definitely help.”
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