The Australian sat out FP1 while McLaren fulfilled its rookie-running requirement, with Pato O’Ward taking over the MCL39 for the opening session.

That left Piastri with just one hour of track time on Friday, where he logged 29 laps and finished only 11th in FP2, nearly seven-tenths behind teammate and title leader Lando Norris.

Despite the headline position, Piastri emerged upbeat. He admitted his soft-tyre run cost him time but felt the underlying pace was strong.

“I think I got there pretty well on the medium [tyres] – just the softs didn’t get the most out of the grip on that first timed lap,” he said.

“Finding my feet, I think, but clearly some things to try and improve for tomorrow.

“But I think after just one session, not too bad.”

Piastri explained that he does not expect major overnight changes, instead focusing on extracting more from the package.

“I think it’s more just little details,” he said. “The car feels like it’s in a pretty decent place… Some small tweaks, of course – it didn’t feel perfect out there, but nothing major.”

Piastri enters the Abu Dhabi finale 16 points off Norris and four behind Max Verstappen, leaving all three drivers with a path to the championship. A pole position would significantly strengthen his chances, with the 24-year-old having to finish in the top two in the race and have other results go his way to win the championship.

Asked whether he felt capable of fighting for the top spot again, Piastri did not hesitate.

“I think pretty good,” he said. “I think the car’s looked quick – just need to get some more laps under my belt and find my feet a bit more really, that’s all.

“A few more laps tomorrow, a few more sets of tyres, hopefully we’ll be there.”

Norris edges Verstappen again in Abu Dhabi FP2, Piastri only 11th