Norris eyes more F1 fights with Mercedes & Red Bull in Portuguese GP

Norris scored his second career podium last time out in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver managed to fend off the recovering Lewis Hamilton for several laps, before relinquishing second to the reigning world champion.

Norris once again beat both Ferraris and comprehensively out-performed teammate Ricciardo as he continued his strong start to the season.

The 21-year-old is hopeful McLaren can continue to fight F1's leading teams in the coming races.

After finishing third at Imola, Norris said in the post-race press conference: “It’s nice to be racing unusual cars I guess for us - a Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferraris and things like that. It’s nice to be going up against them so hopefully we can have some more of that in the future.”

Looking ahead to the race at Portimao this weekend, Norris is confident McLaren will be able to successfully build on its strong start to the season.

“Being on the podium for the second time in Formula 1 was an amazing feeling, but I couldn’t have done it without every single person in the team.

“Everyone at track and the factory continues to go above and beyond to give us the best possible chance every weekend. The result shows the progress we’re making to compete closer towards the front of the grid, but we know not every race will go in our favour. We just need to keep our head down and look to improve in all areas to find that extra tenth that can give us the edge against strong competition.

“I think Imola really showed us that we need to try and turn every opportunity into an advantage with the fight being so close.”

McLaren sits third in the constructors’ championship after two rounds, 19 points behind leaders Mercedes.