Silverstone preview: Oscar Piastri sees a tight battle between McLaren and Ferrari | F1 British GP. Oscar Piastri praises Ferrari’s surprising competitiveness after Silverstone FP2.

Friday’s practice sessions at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone showcased a fierce and thrilling duel between McLaren and Ferrari. Each team secured one of the two free practice sessions, with both emerging as the fastest on both single-lap pace and race pace simulations. While McLaren’s pace is hardly surprising given their recent performances, the notable element was the resurgence of Ferrari. The new floor development on the SF-25 appears to be delivering better performance gains than those seen in Austria, where the characteristics of the circuit demanded less aerodynamic downforce. This improvement could allow Ferrari’s drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, to fight much more closely with the McLaren squad, which still remains the favorite on paper.

Oscar Piastri, the Australian driver who currently leads the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship standings, expressed genuine surprise at the significant progress Ferrari has made. Piastri is eagerly anticipating a direct challenge against the Ferrari SF-25 cars both in qualifying sessions and during the race itself.

Oscar Piastri’s Comments on Ferrari and the Weekend Prospects

“It was a good day overall, even though Ferrari looked very competitive,” said Oscar Piastri after FP2 at Silverstone. “I think we did well in Free Practice 2, although I made a few mistakes with the soft tires. The potential is definitely there, and our race pace seemed pretty solid, so the first day was interesting.”

“I expect a very strong competition. Ferrari was somewhat of a surprise; they looked very well-prepared both in qualifying simulation and race pace. They will certainly be part of the fight this weekend.”

Oscar Piastri added, “I will definitely be in the fight as well. The pace is there; if we manage to put everything together, we will be very competitive. I didn’t have a great lap today—on these tires you only get one shot. My second time attack was decent, considering the worn tires, so I’m fairly calm about that.”

Another challenge for all drivers this weekend will be the strong winds affecting Silverstone. “It was tough today, and I think the conditions will worsen over the weekend. However, that adds a bit of spice to the race, especially in the high-speed corners where the wind is really noticeable and makes things more complicated.”