Sakhir (Bahrain), Apr 1 (AFP) Teenage rookie Lando Norris said he had no idea how he managed to finish an impressive sixth to score his first Formula One points in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Norris, 19, confirmed McLaren's continuing recovery from a prolonged slump in form with a determined performance in only his second race. "I don't know where it came from," he said.

"The whole race today was more fun than in Australia. "I had better pace than I thought we would have and I enjoyed it. I got knocked down to 12th because of some contact and then got back to P6. It was fun. I could have passed Kimi Raikkonen a couple of laps earlier, but I was trying to be sensible and not take risks. I just used my own initiative."

His McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz was forced to retire for the second successive race after suffering a puncture following an early clash with Max Verstappen's Red Bull as they battled for fifth. (AFP)

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