Oscar Piastri wary of Imola threat that could gatecrash McLaren fight

Oscar Piastri believes his major threat for Emilia Romagna Grand Prix pole position is not just limited to McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.

The McLaren duo topped both Friday sessions at Imola, with Piastri leading Norris in both, but the MCL39 has had a tendency to be quick on Friday, before rival teams overtake it in qualifying. 

From the six rounds thus far, Red Bull's Max Verstappen has three pole positions, including the last two in Saudi Arabia and Miami, although Piastri won both races.

The Australian, who is going for a fourth-straight win at Imola, to equal the all-time McLaren record currently only held by Ayrton Senna, believes the same circumstances could happen again. 

"I'm reasonably happy, but there are still some things to try and work on and improve," he explained.

"This wouldn't be the first Friday where we've looked strong, and then everyone has found a bit more going into qualifying, so we want to find more, but everything has gone pretty smoothly.

"The car is feeling decent, there are still a few things to tweak, but all in all, it is not bad.

"Saturday has been pretty important everywhere this year, and regardless of what the rest of the year has looked like, Imola is a place where qualifying means a lot. 

"It is going to be important, but at the moment, I don't think it is just Lando, there are a few others who will join us in the fight, so we've got to keep our heads down and try to find a bit more."