"One of the things we do best is to come into the weekend with a very good set-up," Norris said.

Lando Norris, who topped Max Verstappen by 0.367 seconds in Friday's first practice session, finished fourth despite setting the same lap time as Max Verstappen in the second session. His teammate Oscar Piastri was the fastest in the session.

McLaren's strong start to the weekend also showed that the impact of new FIA technical regulations on the MCL39 is limited.

Speaking after the day, Norris said: "I felt better in the first practice session than in the second. We tried some things and we will continue to try."

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

"We are working on the little details. One of the things we do best at McLaren is to come into the races with a very solid starting set-up."

"That's a good thing, but it can be difficult to improve from that point on."

"But it gives us the chance to try different aspects. We can work on different setups, different approaches. It gives us a better feel for how the car responds," he said.