Norris "just went to bed" and now "optimistic" for the Bahrain Grand Prix

Lando Norris said his preparation for the Bahrain Grand Prix after a disappointing qualifying session was to just "go to bed", as he now feels "optimistic" about his chances.

The Brit could only qualify P6 around the Bahrain International Circuit, saying he felt "clueless" about the car and as to why he could not find the pace he had earlier in Saturday's session.

Teammate Oscar Piasri could do what Norris could not, getting his papaya-coloured car to the front of the grid to start P1, looking for two wins in four races after his success at the Chinese Grand Prix

Norris and Piastri prepare for the Bahrain Grand Prix

"I just went to bed and woke up again," Norris explained as to what he did last night to try and reset after a difficult day behind the wheel of his McLaren.

"I feel a bit better. I'm optimistic; the car's been great all weekend. Obviously, I've been a little bit off it, but I'm still optimistic that I can get back in the rhythm today, so I'm excited. I just wanted to put on a bit more of a show today, so hopefully, that's the case.

It's a long race, a lot of degradation, but it's hard to plan these kinds of things, so I want to be optimistic because our pace on Friday was strong. I have just got to do some overtaking right and put on put on a little show. So yeah, overtaking, a lot of strategy things can come into play today, even safety cars, so hopefully, all of that goes our way," concluded the Brit.

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At the front of the grid, Piastri will be celebrating his 50th Grand Prix in Formula 1: "It's gone very quickly, definitely doesn't feel like 50! I'm happy with how the weekend's been going so far. Obviously, yesterday was great, so just try and continue that today.

"Just try and keep the lead; I think that's the most important thing," continued the Australian when asked what plans he has for the race.

"Obviously, then try and go from there. I think the pace in the cars is pretty solid. I think if I can do that, then it'll be a good afternoon or a good night. But there's going to be a lot of competition behind, a lot of strategy in the race today. I don't think it's gonna be like the first few races we've had. I think you're going to be able to do a lot with different tyre choices and different strategies," concluded Piastri.