Lando Norris says the secret behind McLaren's early-season turnaround is a mixture of hard work and a little bit of luck, as he celebrated a surprise podium at Imola. Norris qualified on the second row for Saturday's Sprint at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and lost places to Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. But on a bad race day for Ferrari in rainy Italy, Norris was able to snatch an unlikely podium for a team that only a matter of weeks ago found themselves fighting at the back of the grid. "[It was] an amazing race, [and] an amazing weekend, to be honest," said Norris. "To beat one Red Bull and one Ferrari is much better than we were expecting always, so I'm happy. "The team deserve it. From where we were in race one to now, scoring a podium, I think they all deserve it. [It's a] top job to the team."
Norris thanks McLaren for memorable Imola race
McLaren started the season fighting at the back of the pack and failed to score points at the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, with every race weekend, McLaren appear to be closing in on the cars at the front. "The boring answer is that it is hard work," continued Norris, when asked to reveal to secret behind the team's transformation. "There's a lot of time and effort being put in back in the factory, and by everyone here. "It was a mixture of this and tricky conditions this weekend, so we've been able to capitalise on that as well. I love these conditions, so I always do quite well. [It was] the same last year, pretty much. "It was a mixture, you know. It's just hard work and a great weekend, and it all pays off."
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