The Australian will start from the second row at Suzuka after a cleanly executed session, marking his highest grid position of 2026 and continuing a strong weekend in which he has featured inside the top four in every session so far.
Piastri admitted the lap that ultimately sealed his position was not perfect, but was satisfied with how the team built into qualifying.
“I think it was pretty well executed,” he said.
“I think the final lap was a bit of a mess. Apart from that, I think we built into things well.
“I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted from the car after FP3. And I think we did a good job of achieving that.
“And then also how you have to drive. Yeah. You’ve got to do some interesting things. So I think just staying disciplined on that worked well.
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“I think happy to end up where we are. I think everyone seemed to chop and change a bit through qualifying.
“We didn’t look great in Q1 and then Q2 we came alive and managed to hold that pace. Thought the Ferraris were going to be on pole at one point. So it was all a bit of a mixed bag.
“But happy to end up third.”
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While he was questioned whether more was possible on his final Q3 run, Piastri felt the margin to Mercedes was broadly representative.
“Maybe a tiny bit,” he said.
“But it’s always impossible to know. I think especially with these cars…it’s very easy to think you’re going faster and doing the right thing and you end up going slower because the engine doesn’t like it.
“So it’s a tricky balance. But I think it was pretty close to what we could have done.”
Piastri’s result comes amid a difficult start to the season for McLaren, but the 24-year-old believed progress is being made as the team continues to understand its package.
“I mean, it’s nice to be closer obviously,” he said.
“I think we’re learning more and more about the car and about the power unit every weekend.
“I think this weekend in Suzuka, let’s say being slower in the esses than Mercedes is not necessarily a bad thing. Which is weird to say.
“But yeah, I think we’re saved a little bit by that. But I think we’ve been more competitive in general.
“But yeah. We’re under no illusion. We’ve still got a pretty big gap to fill.”
Starting near the front also presents a new challenge for Piastri, who has had limited race running so far this season under the new regulations, with the Melburnian yet to start a race in 2026.
“Not necessarily, but you don’t know what you don’t know until you’re in the situation,” he said when asked about if the lack of track time in race conditions will put him on the back foot in the race tomorrow.
“I’ve tried to learn as much as I can from watching the races. And even through practice.
“There’s been some interesting moments with cars at different speeds and different parts of the track.
“I took someone into Degner 1 yesterday, which was different. But yeah, you’re learning all the time and I think just the level of awareness you need is very high.
“But I think ultimately pace is going to be a thing that decides your result..but, we’ll see what we can do.”
Piastri will line up behind Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, with the front row locked out by the Silver Arrows after a dominant qualifying display.
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