Piastri finished second in opening practice for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix before backing that up with third in FP2, as teammate Lando Norris topped the second session.
It marked a positive start to the weekend for McLaren, with the team appearing far more competitive after a difficult previous round in Monaco.
Piastri completed 29 laps in FP1, where he finished 0.203s behind George Russell with a 1m16.566s, before adding another 24 laps in second practice.
The Australian then posted a 1m15.483s in FP2 to finish third, just 0.057s adrift of Norris, as the top three were split by less than six hundredths of a second.
“It was a pretty good Friday for us,” Piastri said.
“We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made, and the pace is a lot better than last week, which is a positive step.
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“We seem to be in the fight at the front, which is a much more satisfying position to be in.
“The key now is to maintain this momentum into tomorrow. While the initial signs are encouraging, there’s still plenty to learn and a lot more performance to find.
“We will keep working hard to see what more we can extract overnight ahead of quali.”
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McLaren’s strongest showing came in FP2, where Norris returned to the car after sitting out opening practice for Leonardo Fornaroli’s mandatory rookie outing.
The reigning world champion made an immediate impact, setting a 1m15.426s to lead Russell by just 0.009s.
Norris said the day was not perfect, but felt McLaren had found a more encouraging starting point at a circuit better suited to the MCL40.
“Today was a reasonable Friday, not perfect, but a step in the right direction,” Norris said.
“The heat and wind made it tough for everyone, so no one’s feeling completely comfortable out there, but our baseline is stronger than it has been at previous events.
“We’ve come to a circuit that certainly suits us better, and the car is operating in a very different window, which is encouraging.
“Going into qualifying tomorrow, we feel we’re up there with the teams we want to fight.
“It’s hard to read others’ fuel loads and run plans, and there are still areas of the car I’m not happy with, so we need to keep improving.
“We’ll work hard overnight to find more, and if we do, we should be in a good place to maximise tomorrow.”
McLaren’s Friday also included Fornaroli’s first official Formula 1 event outing, with the Italian taking over Norris’ car in FP1.
The team’s development and reserve driver completed 22 laps during the session, working through data gathering runs that included aero rake work before moving onto soft tyres later in the program.
Fornaroli ended the session fifth with a 1m17.216s, making him one of the standout rookies in a session that featured several young drivers across the grid.
His FP1 appearance fulfilled one of McLaren’s mandatory rookie practice requirements under the 2026 regulations.
Third practice in Barcelona takes place on Saturday at 12.30pm local time (8.30pm AEST).
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