Oscar Piastri has warned McLaren remain a step behind Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes at the Austrian Grand Prix despite ending Friday as the lead challenger at the Red Bull Ring.
The Australian finished third in FP1 and second in FP2 on 26 June, but Antonelli topped both Formula 1 practice sessions and ended the day more than two tenths clear on soft tyres. Piastri said McLaren’s day had been “productive” after trialling set-up work carried over from Spain, yet he stopped short of presenting the team as Austria favourites.
McLaren Face Saturday Reality Check
Piastri’s caution matters because McLaren looked stronger on the timing screen than their Friday felt internally. He reported an inconsistent brake pedal in FP1, while Lando Norris lost most of that session to a hydraulic issue before returning in the afternoon.
According to Formula 1’s official report, Piastri said Antonelli’s second soft-tyre lap was “quite impressive” and admitted McLaren “can’t invent anything overnight”.
That leaves Saturday’s FP3 and qualifying as the true test. Mercedes appear to have the cleanest single-lap platform so far, Ferrari are trying to recover from their own difficult Friday, and Red Bull have brought upgrades for Max Verstappen’s home-team weekend. McLaren are in the fight, but Piastri’s message was deliberately sober: improvement is possible, dominance is not yet in hand.
