McLaren "going above and beyond" to deliver success - Norris

Lando Norris believes McLaren is currently going "above and beyond" in its bid to bring long-overdue success to the team.

McLaren has made a strong start to the new F1 season, with Norris finishing fourth and third in the first two grands prix in Bahrain and Imola to sit third in the drivers' standings behind Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The 21-year-old's podium at Imola was only the second of his F1 career, but with the promise of more to come this season given the performance of the MCL35M which now houses a Mercedes power unit.

Norris said: “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 [of a second] 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."

Team principal Andreas Seidl has confirmed the car will continue to be developed as it pushes to retain the third place it achieved in last year's constructors' standings, as well as continuing to give Mercedes and Red Bull a run for their money in each race.

“Imola again provided confirmation of the step forward we’ve made as a team, which is encouraging to see," said Seidl.

"Both drivers are doing a good job on-track and have scored some important points for the constructors’ championship over the first two races.

"It’s important that we keep the positive momentum and energy up. There’s still a lot of work to do as we look to keep pushing and deliver upgrades that are in the pipeline.

"We also need to continue to maximise any opportunities that present themselves and make the right decisions to stay in the mix.

"Every single member of the team is dedicated to giving our competition a hard time out on track. We remain focused and are ready to go again this weekend.”

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