Norris continues friendship with Sainz: "I texted Carlos before the weekend"

Ferrari and McLaren are renewing their age-old rivalry in 2021 with a battle for third in the constructors' World Championship. In FP2, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz topped the session with a one-two, and Lando Norris texted his former teammate predicting the strong pace ahead of the session.

Bromance continues

Norris and Sainz are now on rival teams. But Norris managed to find the time to text Sainz with a prediction for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. "From our side, [Ferrari pace] is expected. I am sure we can get them back in certain places," Norris told Sky Sports.

"They were very quick in the final chicane [Barcelona] and you know, you always have corners like that in Monaco. I texted Carlos before the weekend saying: 'I think he has a good chance of winning'. We will see."

Norris P6

Norris finished sixth fastest in the second free practice session. Monaco is always a tricky track for drivers to become accustomed to, but Norris reports he felt comfortable almost straight away.

"I felt pretty comfortable in the car since FP1. Normally it feels a bit alien coming here with the walls and the bumps. The way the track is shaped. It's not easy to build the confidence up but the first lap I did I felt pretty comfortable in the car and pretty good with the braking which is very important here. I feel good. We are not miles away - we are a realistic gap away from the guys ahead of us, but the car is good and we have things to improve on for tomorrow (Saturday). So, I am pretty happy," Norris added.