MIAMI GARDENS, Florida, USA. —
Lando Norris must learn from his last party and perhaps celebrate his first victory in Formula One in a more measured way.
His reaction after victory at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday made it clear that the British driver is unlikely to miss a step.
“Tonight we’re going to have a good time,” Norris promised. “I am very proud. Many people, I think, hesitated along the way. I have made a lot of mistakes in the last five years, but today everything came together, so it belongs to the team.”
Norris won in his 110th race after a mistake by Max Verstappen ended the Dutchman’s dominance at the circuit in the Hard Rock Stadium parking lot. The 24-year-old driver headed to the starting line and threw himself into the arms of the McLaren team, who surfed in his arms to boss Zak Brown, who hugged Norris tightly.
Norris arrived in Miami with a bandage covering the stitches on his nose after he cut himself on a broken glass bottle after the Dutch GP. Norris was celebrating King’s Day with DJ Martin Garrix when he suffered the accident.
“It will be all night,” Norris promised of the post-race party. “Maybe I’ll have more than just a bandage on my nose.”
Verstappen, who started from the top of the grid and won Saturday’s sprint, was in front when he hit the chicane and knocked over a circuit cone. This led to the three-time reigning F1 champion having to return to the pits and Norris took the opportunity to go to the front.
The McLaren driver controlled the rest of the race in his team’s first victory since Daniel Ricciardo won in 2021. He also became the second Briton in F1 history to celebrate with “God Save the King.” George Russell in 2022 is the first British driver to win after the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
With 10 laps to go, Norris realized that victory depended on him as he extended his advantage over Verstappen to five seconds.
“Five seconds?” Norris said into the team radio. “I am alive?”
Of course he was as excited as his team, which celebrated a rare victory on a weekend in which the changes to both of its vehicles debuted. McLaren has 13 victories in the United States – tying Ferrari’s record –
Norris’ final margin of victory was 7.6 seconds over Verstappen’s Red Bull.
“I love you all, thank you very much!” Norris shouted into the radio. “We did it! We did it!”
McLaren has won in F1, Formula E and IndyCar in the last two months and Norris is the first driver since Carlos Sainz Jr. to beat Verstappen this season — after the Dutchman was eliminated in Melbourne with mechanical failure.
“You win, you lose. “I think we are all used to this in racing,” said Verstappen. “Is a P2 a bad day? “I’m happy for Lando.”
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Sainz were third and fourth, respectively, followed by Red Bull’s Mexican Sergio Pérez. Lewis Hamilton was sixth for Mercedes.