FORMULA 1 driver Lando Norris is hopeful of picking up “some good points” at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix after a challenging time in Spain last weekend.

Glastonbury racer Norris, 22, finished in eighth at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday despite struggling with an illness later diagnosed as tonsillitis. 

PA's F1 correspondent Philip Duncan says Norris has “only slept for a combined eight hours since Sunday’s Spanish GP”, but McLaren expect him to be fit to compete this weekend.

He has been made exempt from attending press conferences on medical grounds to ensure “he is in the best possible condition to drive” in the principality.

Norris climbed back into his McLaren today after some rest and recovery time for the first practice session of the weekend, which saw him put in the fifth-best lap time. 

His 1:15.056 put him behind only Charles Leclerc, Sergio Pérez, Carlos Sainz, and world championship leader Max Verstappen in the timesheets. 

Norris secured the third podium of his career on the streets of Monaco last season with a P3 finish and will be hoping for more success this time around. 

He recently joined Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc and others in the list of F1 drivers who have moved to the principality. 

Before the weekend began, Norris said: “I always look forward to the Monaco weekend.

“It will be nice to be racing so close to home, particularly as I can wake up in my own bed!

“Last year it was a fantastic race for me and whilst we're not back at that level just yet, I'm hoping we can pick up some good points here.

“Qualifying on Saturday is going to be key but it will be interesting to see how the race plays out on Sunday with these new cars.

"I'm taking these few days to rest up and to focus on getting better before diving into Monaco.

“Spain was incredibly tough, but I was very pleased to get some points for the team.

“Let's keep moving forward and ensure we're ready for the busy weekend ahead!”

His teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who won the Monaco Grand Prix when he raced for Red Bull in 2018, is hoping for his second top-10 finish of the season.

He said: “I'm bouncing back from a difficult race and looking forward to getting stuck into the Monaco weekend.

“I have a lot of history with this race so I'm hoping to make a mark in the MCL36 this year and score some points for the team.

“The atmosphere around Monaco is always exciting so it will be great to soak it all up.”

The grand prix takes place in the streets of the principality and is well-known for pushing the drivers to the limits of their abilities.

There are walls close to the track throughout the lap to punish driver mistakes, while its narrow nature makes overtaking rare - putting more emphasis on the importance of Saturday's qualifying session.