MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — We’ve got a new Formula One race winner at last.
Lando Norris secured his first victory at the Miami Grand Prix, managing to keep an attacking Max Verstappen at bay after the safety car period and cruised out of DRS range with fresher tires (giving the McLaren an advantage).
The race ended up being a thriller. Heading into Turn 1 at the start, Sergio Pérez floored it past the Ferrari duo and nearly drove into Verstappen, narrowly missing his teammate’s rear. The stewards reviewed whether the Mexican driver made a false start but decided no further investigation was needed. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri had a lightning start, advancing three places by lap 2 to P3. Two laps later, he made a move on Charles Leclerc and slid into P2. Although Verstappen began picking up the pace by lap 17, Piastri didn’t back down, matching the reigning world champion’s speed while Leclerc chased him less than a second from behind.
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Norris found some serious pace after the virtual safety car period (triggered by Verstappen running into a bollard), and a full safety car came shortly after when Kevin Magnussen hit Logan Sargeant, sending the Williams into the barriers and out of the race. The safety car picked up Verstappen, who was second, and slowed down the Red Bull while Norris pitted.
It came down to fresher tires versus the faster car — and Norris controlled it. As the clock kept ticking, the Briton’s lead continued to grow. Well over four seconds by lap 45. Just over five seconds with 10 laps to go. Piastri was reminded over the radio that Norris was leading the race and “we do not want to cause a safety car here” as he chased Daniel Ricciardo, who was P16.
The final margin ended up being over seven seconds.
Norris joined the F1 grid in 2019 and completed over 6,000 laps in six years heading into the Miami Grand Prix weekend. He has secured pole position before (at Monza in 2021) and had multiple podium finishes over the years. But the maiden win always seemed to elude him.
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(Photo: Clive Mason / Getty Images)
