In a thrilling race at the Miami Grand Prix, Lando Norris secured his first Formula 1 victory, triumphing over Max Verstappen, who currently leads the championship. This win marked McLaren’s first victory in three years. Norris’s long-awaited success came as a result of a safety car intervention, McLaren’s new upgrades, and exceptional driving skills. Finally, he crossed the finish line in first place, shedding his record for the most podium finishes without a win in F1.
At the start of the race, it was Oscar Piastri in the McLaren who made an impressive move, jumping from sixth to third position. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez misjudged his braking and nearly caused a collision with his teammate Verstappen, who had secured pole position. Piastri managed to overtake Charles Leclerc in the left-hander of Turn 17, while Norris dropped from fifth to sixth place.
For the most part, the positions at the front remained unchanged, except for Perez’s early switch to the harder tires on lap 17. However, Verstappen made a rare mistake four laps later, skipping across the chicane and dislodging a bollard in the process. This incident triggered a virtual safety car. Another incident later in the race would prove to be decisive.
When Norris was released by Perez, his pace put Verstappen, who had pitted two laps after the bollard incident, in a precarious position behind the safety car. Norris, who had yet to make his mandatory pitstop, found himself leading the race. Verstappen’s worst fear came true when the safety car was deployed just after Norris crossed the line on lap 28.
The safety car was caused by another incident involving Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant. Magnussen attempted to overtake Sargeant through Turns 2/3 but ended up causing the Williams driver to spin. This incident allowed Norris to make his pitstop and maintain his lead, while Verstappen was stuck behind the safety car, which was then released.
After the safety car restart, Norris remained ahead of Verstappen, setting the stage for a direct battle between the two for the remainder of the race. Verstappen made his best attempt to overtake Norris during the restart, but Norris defended his position into Turn 1. From there, Norris extended his lead over Verstappen comfortably.
Verstappen was dissatisfied with the balance of his RB20 throughout the weekend, and this continued during the race. While chasing Norris, he expressed his frustration, stating, “I can’t get the car to turn, it’s a disaster.” Meanwhile, Norris seized the opportunity to claim the victory that eluded him at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, achieving this milestone in his 111th F1 start.
Ferrari had to settle for third place in Miami, with Charles Leclerc securing the final spot on the podium. Carlos Sainz, Leclerc’s teammate, managed to finish fourth despite a skirmish with Piastri, who suffered front wing damage and had to replace it, ruining his chances of scoring points. Perez finished fifth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull Racing also benefited from the safety car intervention, but he had put himself in that position with an impressive performance in the opening stint. Tsunoda finished seventh, followed by George Russell in the second Mercedes, Fernando Alonso, and Esteban Ocon, who secured Alpine’s first point of the challenging 2024 season.