Oscar Piastri set the tone on Friday at the Barcelona circuit, but stated that Red Bull clearly showed strong potential.
The McLaren driver posted a best time of 1:12.760 but noted that Max Verstappen had a more competitive Friday than usual in this opening day on track.
“It was a busy day with setup changes for me, but it ended on a good note, which is always positive. But our rivals look quick.”
“Verstappen was fast all day. Ferrari were there, Mercedes popped up at the end, so it’s shaping up to be a close battle tomorrow. There are still areas we can improve.”
Red Bull’s development at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix two weeks ago helped close the gap to McLaren. Verstappen finished ahead of Piastri at Imola, and the McLaren driver said he expected his rivals to be just as strong on another track featuring several medium- and high-speed corners.
“We expected Red Bull to be quick after Imola, so it’s not a big surprise. We’re just trying to make the car a bit quicker, that’s all.”
“We tried several things today—some good, some less so—and we’re learning. So it was a good day.”
Lando Norris revealed that McLaren had experimented with different settings on his car. Norris topped the first free practice session, leading Verstappen by four tenths, but dropped to fourth in FP2, matching Verstappen’s time exactly.
“I felt better in FP1 than in FP2, we tested some things and we’ll keep working to improve.”
“They’re small details, and what we always do well is start with a good base, but then it’s naturally harder to make progress. Still, it’s a good thing because it allows us to explore different directions, try new things and get a feel for the rest of the weekend.”
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