In a season dominated by Max Verstappen, it was a hugely popular win by the 24-year-old. The British driver also gave McLaren their first F1 win since Monza 2021.
McLaren’s Lando Norris won the first Formula One race of his career on Sunday and ended world champion Max Verstappen’s dominance at the Miami Grand Prix.
After finishing as runner-up eight times in 110 Grand Prix, the 24-year-old Briton, who had held the record for most podiums without a win (15), finally clinched a long overdue victory.
“I love you all, thank you so much!” Norris screamed on his radio with a final margin of victory of 7.6 seconds over Verstappen of Red Bull. “We did it! We did it!”
How Norris won in Miami
Norris took the lead after making a pit stop during a safety car period following a collision between Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen.
Verstappen, in second, never caught up, giving Norris his first win, five years after arriving in F1 with McLaren.
Norris is the first driver since Carlos Sainz Jr. to beat Verstappen this Formula One season.
“You win. You lose. I think we’re all a bit used to that in racing,” Verstappen said.
“Is a bad day P2? I will take it. I am happy for Lando, it’s been a long time coming and there’s more to come from him,” he added.
McLaren’s first F1 win since 2021
Norris also gave McLaren its first win since a Daniel Ricciardo victory in 2021. Ricciardo was among the handful of drivers who found Norris for a congratulatory hug following the race.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes over my last five years, my short career, but today we put it all together so this is all for the team. I started with McLaren because I believe in them and today proved exactly that,” Norris said.
The results had little impact on the drivers’ standings with Verstappen, holding a commanding 35-point lead over his team mate Sergio Perez.
Source: Dw
