Piastri sets fastest time on Friday but eyes 'quick Verstappen and Ferrari'

Championship leader Piastri was the quickest on the soft tyres in Barcelona, setting a fastest lap that was three tenths quicker than ones set by his nearest rivals.

"It's been a bit of an up and down day, I think ending on an up which is good but our competitors look quick. I think Verstappen's been quick all day, Ferrari have been there, Mercedes popped up at the end, so yes, it's going to be a tight battle tomorrow I think, but definitely still some things to try and work on," he told F1 TV after the session.

Piastri was not surprised to see many rivals up there in the free practice session, and explained he expected Max Verstappen to be close to begin with this weekend. "Not necessarily, we definitely expected Red Bull to be quick so that's not a big surprise. Just trying to make the car a bit faster, really that's all. So yeah I think we've tried a few things today bit faster, really that's all. So yeah I think we've tried a few things today some have been good some have been not so good and we're learning. So I think it's been a good day."

What also showed that Verstappen can have a strong weekend was also the Dutchman's long run.

Currently, the McLaren drivers has three points more than his teammate Lando Norris, and 25 points more than the Red Bull driver in the world championship standings.