'One of the hardest races' - Norris battled through illness in Spain

Lando Norris called the Spanish GP "one of the hardest races ever" after battling through illness to deliver a gritty drive to eighth in his McLaren.

Norris has been diagnosed as suffering from tonsillitis, having been struggling with a fever and a headache throughout the weekend in Barcelona.

After managing to finish eighth despite his symptoms and the searing heat on race day, he was withdrawn from his post-race media duties and instead went straight to the motorhome to be looked over by the team doctor.

"Today was tough," Norris said via McLaren afterwards. "I was feeling really unwell before the race as I'm suffering with tonsillitis, and that, in combination with the high temperatures, made this one of the hardest races I've ever done.

"I've been a bit on the backfoot this weekend as most of my energy has been spent fighting off this illness.

"I've had to miss a lot of engineering sessions, which has compromised my weekend, and I definitely wasn't as prepared for the Grand Prix as I could have been.

"With that in mind, I'm really pleased to have come out of the race with decent points for the team."

Gallery: Ferrari SP48 Unica (motor1.com)

Norris repeatedly tested negative for Covid-19 over the weekend.

The English driver, 22, did not join the other 19 drivers at the front of the grid for the pre-race anthems while being attended to and he was looked over again after the race.

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl confirmed Norris' participation in the Grand Prix had been approved by a doctor and is now aiming to ensure he is rested and recovered ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

"After the doctor gave the green light today and after Lando was clear from his side that he would give it a go, we went for it,"