Piastri was fifth fastest in the day’s second practice session, half-a-tenth away from the time posted by Charles Leclerc.

The Ferrari driver headed Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton in Free Practice 2, the trio covered by less than a tenth of a second.

Piastri’s McLaren team-mate, Lando Norris, was only 17th fastest after his qualifying simulation run was hampered by Pierre Gasly.

The Brit has been fourth in opening practice, with Piastri sixth.

“I think it’s been a decent day,” the Australian reasoned.

“It’s a bit hard to know at the moment, with the track evolving so much still, but our pace seems in the ballpark.”

The Baku street circuit proved especially dusty with suggestions it hadn’t been cleaned as normal ahead of the event.

Track evolution was therefore rapid, with Leclerc’s Free Practice 2 best more than two seconds faster than the lap Max Verstappen topped first practice with.

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“Very slippery, much slipperier than it has been, I would say, in the last few years,” Piastri said when asked about the conditions.

“I think that’s why we’re seeing the track get quicker and quicker.

“It’s not easy out there, definitely and it’s quite inconsistent, but the same challenge for everyone.”

While Piastri was fifth, and the lead McLaren at the end of Friday, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, and Mercedes were all represented ahead of him on the timesheets, suggesting another hotly contested weekend between the quartet of teams.

“Ferrari look pretty strong; Red Bull look quick; and Mercedes as well,” Piastri suggested.

“At the moment, anyone in the top four teams look good.

“Our long run seems quite competitive, which is good, but some people are putting down some big laps.

“If you hook it up, it really makes a huge difference,” he added.

“That’s going to be the name of the game.”