Norris looks at timesheets with amazement: 'We know they're fast'.

McLaren was the team to beat in the battle for third place behind Red Bull Racing and Mercedes. After the free practice sessions in Portimao this seems less obvious. Not only Ferrari but also the surprising Alpine was fast.

"It was a good day I think," said a moderately positive Lando Norris afterwards to Sky Sports. "We were able to do a lot of things, we did have some problems here and there in P1 and P2, so I didn't get to do as many laps as I would have liked. We understand the car quite well, but we're still struggling at some points on the track."

Norris finished just twelfth during the second free practice session, while teammate Daniel Ricciardo had to settle for eighth. Is he confident he can be further upfront in qualifying on Saturday?

"I hope so, but the Alpine was very fast today. From Ferrari, we know they are fast, but we had a big gap to Alpine the last couple of races, but here they are a lot closer. It's going to be exciting," said the young Briton.