Lando Norris earns first F1 victory, relegates Max Verstappen to second place

1 week ago 9

By Jenna Fryer

May 6, 2024 — 8.41am

Miami Gardens, Florida: Lando Norris needed 110 starts and a mistake by Max Verstappen to gain his maiden Formula 1 triumph connected Sunday and extremity Verstappen’s dominance astatine the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who started from the rod and won Saturday’s sprint race, was retired beforehand erstwhile helium deed a chicane and knocked a cone retired of spot connected the circuit. It forced the three-time reigning F1 champion to pit, giving Norris the lead.

Ginning victor Lando Norris is lauded aft his maiden expansive prix triumph successful Miami.

The 24-year-old operator for McLaren past controlled the contention to springiness the organisation its archetypal triumph since Daniel Ricciardo saluted successful 2021. It besides marked Verstappen’s 2nd nonaccomplishment from six races this season, pursuing contention 3 successful Melbourne wherever helium bowed retired with a mechanical failure.

With astir 10 laps to go, Norris realised the contention was his to suffer erstwhile his pb implicit Verstappen deed 5 seconds.

“Five seconds?” Norris radioed his team. “Am I alive?”

Indeed helium was arsenic an ecstatic McLaren squad celebrated a uncommon triumph connected a play successful which it unveiled important upgrades connected its 2 cars. McLaren present has 13 wins successful races successful the United States — tying a grounds with Ferrari — but it was the archetypal connected American ungraded since Lewis Hamilton astatine Circuit of the Americas successful 2012.

Former US president Donald Trump attended the Miami Grand Prix, wherever helium rubbed shoulders with contention victor Lando Norris.

Norris’ last borderline of triumph was 7.6-seconds implicit Verstappen of Red Bull.

“I emotion you all, convey you truthful much!” Norris screamed connected his radio. “We did it! We did it!”

Norris said helium knew erstwhile helium entered the way he’d triumph astatine Miami.

“Finally. I americium truthful happy. I knew it. I knew it erstwhile I came successful this morning,” Norris said. “And I nailed it.”

McLaren has present won an F1, Formula E and IndyCar contention successful the past 2 months. Norris is the archetypal operator since Carlos Sainz Jr to bushed Verstappen this season.

“You win. You lose. I deliberation we’re each a spot utilized to that successful racing,” Verstappen said. “Is a atrocious time P2? I volition instrumentality it. I americium blessed for Lando, it’s been a agelong clip coming and there’s much to travel from him.”

Norris was swarmed by the McLaren unit aft the contention arsenic squad members lifted him and seemed to assemblage surf him until helium yet got to brag Zak Brown, who wrapped Norris successful a carnivore hug.

McLaren earlier the commencement of the contention hosted erstwhile President Donald Trump, who chatted with F1 officials from wrong the McLaren garage. When helium made his mode toward the starting grid, fans began chanting “USA! USA!” and Trump pumped his archetypal successful approval.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Sainz finished 3rd and 4th and was followed by Sergio Perez of Red Bull.

Hamilton was sixth for Mercedes, Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull’s inferior squad was seventh and George Russell was eighth for Mercedes. Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon of Alpine rounded retired the apical 10. Ocon did it with squad investors Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs successful attendance, portion Australians Oscar Piastri (13th) and Ricciardo (15th) were disconnected the pace.

About halfway done the race, Logan Sargeant crashed and brought retired the information car that forced the Pompano Beach autochthonal retired of his car. The 23-year-old and lone American operator connected the F1 grid is clinging to his spot with Williams arsenic speculation is rampant helium could beryllium replaced earlier the extremity of his 2nd season.

It marked Sargeant’s 2nd consecutive last-place decorativeness astatine his location race.

The Sargeant clang handed power of contention strategy to McLaren, who held the pb with Norris astatine the clip of the caution. Norris had taken implicit the pb erstwhile Verstappen was forced to pit from the pb aft hitting a chicane that knocked a cone onto the racing surface.

As Red Bull was looking for immoderate harm to Verstappen’s beforehand wing, a contention marshal entered the circuit and scooped up the cone arsenic F1 avoided having to usage the information car for the incident. But conscionable moments later, Kevin Magnussen made interaction with Williams, giving McLaren the accidental to strategise its triumph implicit Verstappen.

For Magnussen, it marked different atrocious time successful a agelong play successful which the Haas operator was accused of unsportsmanlike behaviour for his strategy successful Saturday’s sprint race.

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