Lando Norris hands McLaren clear Imola warning

Lando Norris has warned McLaren it is "not in a comfortable place" despite topping both sessions of Emilia Romagna Grand Prix practice.

Norris was beaten by team-mate Oscar Piastri in both sessions at Imola, but the MCL39 appeared to enjoy a clear pace advantage from the rest of the field, with Alpine's Pierre Gasly the nearest challenger in FP2. 

However, Norris feels that the Friday pace could be indicative of McLaren's usual 'strong on Friday' routine, as he felt Red Bull and Mercedes would close in come qualifying.

"I'm pretty happy with today, it is a difficult track to get into the rhythm of things, and is it fast," Norris explained.

"This is a track all about timing and getting everything perfect, which is not easy to do at the speeds we are going, but it was a fun day. 

"We've made some improvements, and hopefully there are some more to come [in qualifying]. 

"I'm sure Oscar [will improve], and in FP2 we always look good, look much better than everyone else, and then we get to qualifying and they catch up, so I don't think we are in a comfortable place.

"We still have work to do, Alpine are always quick here, and I am sure Red Bull will catch up and Mercedes will be on it when they turn their engines up, so nothing is comfortable, but it was a productive Friday."