Oscar Piastri has described his first day behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car in Monaco as “decent”.

The Australian kept out of trouble during Friday’s two practice sessions in the principality, ending Free Practice 1 17th fastest and 18th in Free Practice 2.

Outright pace however was not the focus of the day as the young Australian again built his way into the weekend.

“It’s definitely quick,” Piastri said of his experience.

“Tricky; a bit off the pace, but I think it’s just about putting it together.

“I think the places I need to improve on from FP1 I made a bit better for FP2, it’s just putting it all together.

“Especially around here with all the low-speed corners, you have a little bit here and there and it can add up very quickly.

“So we’ll work on it overnight, see where I can do better.

“But yeah, kept out the walls had a couple of rubs, but I think that’s a decent first day in Monaco.

Fine margins

While Piastri’s times left him towards the foot of the standings on Friday, the field spread was such that a small improvement will net strong gains.

From 10th to 18th in Free Practice 2 was covered by just six tenths.

With more consistency and confidence heading into Saturday, Piastri is looking to move up the order.

“The whole field it’s still incredibly tight,” he observed.

“I obviously need to make a good step forward but, like every weekend, it’s super tight and the gap to the guys in P1 is really not that big, even from where I am at the back.

“So yeah, some small gains can get us a fair way up, and obviously here you need to be starting up as high as you can.”

Free Practice 3 begins in Monaco at 12:30 local time (20:30 AEST) on Saturday.