In Miami, Lando Norris emerged as the latest victor of the Formula 1 Grand Prix event, securing his position as a winner in the prestigious race.
Max Verstappen predicted Lando Norris’ first win in Formula 1 is “not going to be his last”, after finally breaking his duck in Miami on Sunday.
Norris showcased an impressive performance, advancing from sixth to first place in a remarkable drive. Taking advantage of a timely Safety Car during the middle of the race, he strategically pitted and then effortlessly pulled away from the Red Bull driver. This triumph marked his long-awaited first Formula 1 race victory after 110 attempts, making it a widely celebrated moment for the sport.
Lando Norris: First win ‘won’t be his last’ after maiden F1 victory in Miami
During the Miami Grand Prix, Verstappen expressed his dissatisfaction with his pace, describing it as a “disaster.” Despite leading the race in the first half, he struggled to make his Red Bull turn as he desired.
Despite bringing his car home in second place, Norris managed to distance himself from the Dutchman in the latter part of the race following the restart of the Safety Car. This was due to his strategic decision to pit at the opportune moment and prolong his initial stint, a position he was able to secure through effective tire management from the beginning.
The reigning World Champion was pragmatic after his second place finish, and admitted that McLaren’s extra pace came as something of a surprise to Red Bull.
“After the race, Verstappen expressed, ‘In racing, it’s a constant cycle of winning and losing. I believe we’re all familiar with that, aren’t we?'”
However, today proved to be somewhat challenging. From the start on the mediums, I didn’t feel great. Although we were gradually gaining distance, it wasn’t as effortless as expected.
After we made the pit stop, I overheard the lap times of the McLarens and exclaimed, “That’s impressive speed!”
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After switching to the hard tyre, their pace significantly improved, particularly Lando who was performing exceptionally well.
We faced immense challenges during that period, but I’m willing to accept a bad day as P2. Moreover, I’m genuinely thrilled for Lando.
“It has been a long time in the making, and this will not be his final accomplishment. Hence, unquestionably, he truly deserves it today.”
With a series of upgrades, McLaren arrived in Miami and the MCL38 seemed to be more competitive in Norris’ possession compared to before. This was evident even before the fortunate timing of the Safety Car benefited him.
Verstappen smiled and replied, “I certainly hope McLaren’s performance is not a reflection of their actual pace!”
He continued, saying, “To clarify, they arrived with an upgrade. It definitely seems to be functioning well, doesn’t it? Therefore, we have some tasks to complete on our end.”
“I believe it was certainly not our most impressive weekend in terms of race pace, but we will thoroughly analyze the situation and make efforts to bounce back stronger.”
Read next: Miami Grand Prix: Lando Norris ends long wait for first F1 win after Max Verstappen ‘disaster’
