Oscar Piastri makes qualifying prediction after Red Bull threat

Oscar Piastri has predicted that at least four F1 teams could be in the mix for qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix, despite McLaren's strong pace.

The Australian topped FP2 in Barcelona from surprise contender George Russell in the Mercedes, with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris locked in a dead heat in third and fourth. 

In the first practice session, Ferrari also performed well with a third place for Lewis Hamilton, who ultimately fell to 11th in FP2, with Charles Leclerc exactly 0.500s slower than Piastri in the second 60 minutes.

However, Piastri believes Ferrari and Mercedes could be in the mix as well as Red Bull, whose pace is no surprise to the world championship leader, with the fast sweeps of Barcelona expected to suit the RB21 package of the reigning champion.

"It was a bit of an up and down day, and I think we ended it on an up, which was good, but our competitors look quick," Piastri explained.

"Verstappen was quick all day, Ferrari have been there and Mercedes popped up at the end, so it will be a tight battle [in qualifying]. 

"But there are definitely a few things to try and work on, but we did expect Red Bull to be quick. 

"So that is not a big surprise, but we are just trying to make the car faster, and we tried a few things, some of which were good, and some of which were not, but we are learning."