In the simmering heat of Miami, Florida, the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris was growing intense as the checkered black and white flag came into sight. A flash of orange and black racing across the finish line signaled the winner of the race. It was Lando Norris from McLaren who took the victory at the Miami Grand Prix, securing his first-ever win in the Formula One circuit. The young British driver finally managed to etch his name into Formula One history.
Lando Norris Conquering the Race
Norris secured his long-awaited first Formula One victory. After qualifying a disappointing ninth for the sprint race, Norris was an innocent victim in Turn one where he headed into a crash, dropping him further down the order. However, McLaren’s ability to upgrade their already well-tailored car in this race helped Lando get ahead of his competition. McLaren brought a large amount of upgrades to the MCL38 (original car), effectively transforming it into the MCL38B (upgraded) with enhancements across the chassis, the part where the engine and suspensions are attached. Another advantage was the well-timed pit stop when the safety car was sent out due to the fight between Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen. This let Norris get closer to Verstappen when the race resumed on Lap 33. Once in clear air, Norris reeled off a string of fastest laps to charge through the field and inherit the lead. From there, he managed the race superbly, passing by the Ferrari Ace Charles Leclerc and Verstappen with maximum effort. After competing in 110 Grand Prix races, experiencing podium finishes and defeats along the way, this marked the long-awaited day when he triumphantly secured his first Grand Prix victory. “What a race. It’s been a long time coming but finally I’ve managed to do it,” said Norris in The Mirror.“I’m so happy for my whole team. I’ve finally delivered for them. It was a long day, a tough race, but I’m finally on top and over the moon.”
Kevin Magnussen and Lorgan Sargeant’s Crash
Turning into Lap two, Magnussen, from Haas, saw an opportunity to pass Sargeant, from Williams, but instead caused a major crash. This led Sargant’s car to crash into the barriers, which caused a safety car to come out in order to stop the current race and prevent a more serious accident. This came as a surprise coming from Magnussen who defended admirably against Lewis Hamiton, the seven-time world champion, in the Saturday sprints from passing him which let his teammate Nico Hulkenberg score two points. Magnussen was placed under a lot of penalties for this crash which would cause him to suffer in the upcoming races. Sargeant was not happy with the crash happening in his own home race and might be in danger of not being on the F1 grid in 2025 due to his poor performances in the last few races.
Additional Winners in this Race
This race was an interesting outcome throughout the grid with amazing performances not only from Norris but also for Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull). Ocon came back from a terrible performance at the Chinese GP and was able to gain one point by coming in tenth place in this Grand Prix. This allowed Alpine to finally put a point on the constructor’s scoreboard. Tsunoda on the other hand was able to race to seventh place letting him gain six points for his team. His steady gain in points led him to catch up to others ahead of him slowly. Doing much better than his partner Daniel Riccardo, his consistency in these races is should not be ignored.
Looking into the Future
Verstappen, favored for this race, came in second place and announced his surprise at Norris’s amazing racing that day. “Today was tricky… Lando was flying and it was incredibly difficult for us,” the Red Bull Racer said for The Mirror. “But if a bad day is P2, I can’t complain.” With the relief of hearing the British National Anthem rather than the constant Dutch Anthem, we can go into the next races without the fear that Verstappen will dominate all.
