'Best of the rest' Norris surprised by McLaren practice pace

©McLaren

McLaren rookie Lando Norris was delighted with his impressive performance in Friday's second practice session but also surprised by McLaren's suitability to the Paul Ricard track.

Norris concluded his afternoon fifth on the timesheet, less than a second off FP2 pacesetter Valtteri Bottas. However, the 19-year-old rookie isn't getting carried away with that strong result.

"Comparing to Canada, much better for me," Norris said.

"As a team we still did a good job with the pace being very promising. But we said that as well in Canada and it didn’t turn out too well on Saturday.

Bottas expecting tyres 'to be on the limit' on race day

"So it has been a good day, the speed looked pretty good. But the car is not quite there yet in terms of what we can achieve. So put everything together tomorrow and hopefully everybody stays behind us.

"It is a bit of surprise; the team and I didn’t think the track would suit as much as Canada," he added.

"It is just Friday - we were quick in Canada on a Friday. But I’m sure that the other teams are going to improve, so we have to improve the same amount."

©McLaren

McLaren team mate Carlos Sainz clicked in P7, splitting Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly, but the Spaniard was far from happy with his car's behavior.

"You know it has been a good day when you are not happy with the car and suffering out there with different issues, and you are still P8, so that gives good confidence for Saturday," explained Sainz.

"We still need to change quite a lot of things because we were running a lot of experimental parts, changing floors, changing a lot of stuff on the car to see where the performance is.

"Hopefully tomorrow we can put together all the good pieces and have a better day. I don’t understand yet. We need to do some analyse.

"Today we were strong, but I will see that this track suits our car whenever we qualify P6 or P7. Until then, after Friday it is very difficult to tell."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.