Has there ever been a more popular winner in modern Formula 1? Probably not. After checkered flagEveryone under the sun wanted to congratulate lando norris:her joy mclaren The team, his fellow drivers, even Donald Trump, Present At the Hard Rock Stadium, the boy from Bristol and his unwavering smile at the end of the match were beating him miami grand prix,
The phrase on everyone’s lips was that this had been a “long time coming” for the 24-year-old. This is true. 110 races, 15 podiums and one tragic accident in Russia three years ago are proof of this. But on Sunday, Norris finally became the 21st player to enter the winner’s circlescheduled tribe Britain will win the Formula 1 race. For the first time in 18 months, God Save the King was condemned f1 stage function.
As is often the case on the slim margins of elite sports, luck played its part in the Florida heat. A day after crashing out on lap one in the sprint race, Norris started fifth on the grid, with optimism perhaps surprisingly high. He told the team briefing on Sunday morning that it was a day “full of opportunities”. still together max verstappen Once again on pole position, it seemed a difficult task to overtake the Red Bulls and Ferraris from the front.
But Norris and his unlucky team-mate Oscar Piastri, whose race was doomed just as Norris won, showed excellent pace during this 57-lap Grand Prix. The Australian moved up to second after a few laps and, surprisingly, kept the Ferrari behind him. Norris remained behind the front four, like a predator ready to pounce.
“I’ll go get him,” he told race engineer Will Joseph when he was tasked with overtaking Carlos Sainz. As he later explained, he would not actually need to overtake any cars on the track.
It was lap 28, when Norris had taken the lead with his competitors, when the size of the opportunity suddenly became apparent. An accident between backmarker Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargent resulted in a safety car crash and, effectively, Norris got a free pit stop. He came in for fresh rubber and once the safety car lifted the then 19-car pack, the race had a new leader in papaya colour.
McLaren rolled the Miami dice. And it turned out to be fantastic.
Can Norris keep Verstappen behind him with 25 laps to go? The most intriguing moment came early on, when the Dutchman took his close friend down the home straight. Norris maintained the inside line and courage to stay ahead. Little did we know then, but this ensured his first victory.
Because contrary to predictions, Verstappen did not reel in Norris. The Briton quickly (and significantly) moved ahead by more than a second, leaving Red Bull without the extra speed granted with DRS. From there, lap by lap, Norris increased his lead.
Then he went away without any challenge; Red Bull were powerless.
The closing stages were nerve-wracking – you only have to look at the tense faces in the McLaren garage – but Norris was undeniable. Almost the same man who often smiled with a sense of insatiability at the podium, this was his time. His joy and relief were evident.
He shouted over the team radio: “We did it! I think that’s the way it’s done. Finally, ah so happy! We did it.” When McLaren celebrated its first win since Monza in September 2021, he jumped on his beloved mechanics, who hoisted him into the air.
It’s a big enough hurdle for Norris to finally get the proverbial monkey off his back. It also signals rapid progress for Jack Brown’s McLaren team. American CEO – who gave garage tour For Trump pre-race – and Italian team principal Andrea Stella – have spent the last year or so strengthening the Woking-based outfit, which is desperate to return F1 veterans to their positions.
Armed with the third fastest car after the first five races, McLaren brought a hair-raising 10 upgrades to the race. The surprise results on Sunday afternoon were on the timesheets. Not only Ferrari, but even Red Bull could not cope with it. With three different winners in the first six races following Carlos Sainz’s victory in Australia, could this season be more competitive than first feared?
It remains to be seen, but between the media interviews and selfies and the praise of his teammates – Lewis Hamilton was adamant that Norris would have to change his planned Sunday night flight from Miami to celebrate – the unmistakable image was this. : Norris, overwhelmed, emotional and ecstatic with pure joy, smiling from ear to ear.
“I’m not going to sleep,” he said of Sunday night’s celebration in Miami, whose flight had already been canceled. “I’m going all the way!” Exactly, Lando. As they all said, it has taken a long time.