Lando Norris said that he was "very happy" after a fourth-place finish at the season-opening 2021 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Starting seventh on the grid, Norris was aggressive at the start of the race and passed Daniel Ricciardo before attacking Valtteri Bottas.
Running a two stop strategy, the 21-year-old managed to get passed Charles Leclerc and ended the race just one place away from the podium.
Reflecting on a strong result at the opening race of the season, Norris said: "Very happy. A good result not just for myself but for us as a team.
"A good amount of points for this first weekend, I stayed out of trouble and I'm very happy. It's encouraging that we were able to fight with pure pace. It's a good start – big thanks to the team here and everyone back at the MTC."
His new teammate Ricciardo finished a few positions further back in seventh and said that there was plenty to learn from his first outing in McLaren colours.
"First one down," he added.
"I think overall it's been a good weekend. We can't complain with that result. I think from the team's perspective as well it's good to hit the road with fourth and seventh. I think there's plenty to learn from. I wasn't that impressed with my race.
"We couldn't find the pace, so every time I tried to get a bit more out of it, it wasn't really there – but I think there's plenty to take from the race, plenty to learn from. If what I felt was an okay race ended with a P7, we're looking alright.
"We'll take the positives and learn from the data. Overall, a good weekend for the whole team, and a good first race for McLaren. Thanks to the guys back at MTC and here at the track for their hard work and preparation."
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