F1 | Norris finally: Max bows, the Ferrari is in tow

There is a sense of accomplishment in the victory that Lando Norris achieved in the Miami Grand Prix. At twenty-four, the former karting prodigy, captured in 2017 by McLaren’s ‘Young Driver’ program, had collected records that can be read in two ways. Becoming the driver with the most podiums and the most points who has never won a Grand Prix means being a high-level driver but not a winner.

Norris had come close to winning on several occasions, the most sensational was in Russia in 2021, when with four laps to go he decided to continue on dry tires trusting that the few drops of rain would not become a downpour. He went badly. Two weeks earlier he had climbed onto the second step of the podium in Monza celebrating the success of his then teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

In the meantime, Norris had seen several generation mates win their first races in Formula 1, from George Russell to Charles Leclerc, reaching the podium sixteen times but never the top step. Today in Miami the day has arrived, and the first to celebrate Lando’s journey were his colleagues, without exception, who immediately rushed to pay homage to him. It’s not something you see often, but Norris is a rider who has made his way through work, without shouldering shoulders, he has some true friends even among his colleagues and above all he has no enemies. Never a controversy, a word out of place or a rogue maneuver, on or off the track.

Miami’s victory came thanks to a bonus offered by the safety car (which entered the track on lap 28) but not only that. In the past Max Verstappen had needed a few laps to make his way and regain the lead, but not today. It was Norris who did the Verstappen, setting off at a faster pace than that of the number 1 Red Bulls, a pace that allowed him to build a safety margin in a short time. Lando didn’t do anything wrong, he knew how to wait in the first laps when he found himself behind the “stopper” Perez, and push when he had a clear track, showing the qualities of the MCL38, making its debut in Miami in its version revisited by the Woking technicians .

With the hard tires no one was able to worry Lando, even Verstappen had to give up. There was some help, but the Norris-McLaren tandem certified the success by confirming itself as the fastest on the track. “We knew that the car would go well – commented a very happy Andrea Stella – but what we saw lap after lap, well, it was a bit of a surprise. Obviously we were very pleased, also from a future perspective.”

The McLaren team principal, who dedicated the success to Gil De Ferran, also wanted to praise Norris’ work. “He deserved it very, very much. We always said that as soon as he had the right car at his disposal he would make it, and he didn’t prove us wrong”.

Max Verstappen congratulates Lando Norris who won the Miami GP with McLaren

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Verstappen and Red Bull ultimately sportingly accepted the verdict. “If when it’s bad I’m second… it’s not bad, right?”, he commented. Max got the biggest scare in the rear-podium room, when, reviewing the images of the start, he realized that he had been dodged by Sergio Perez by a few centimetres. Checo significantly influenced Carlos Sainz’s race, while Leclerc converted the second place achieved in qualifying (behind Verstappen) into a third position, still behind Max.

In terms of spoils, Ferrari’s trip is certainly not negative. The safety car didn’t help Carlos and Leclerc, but there was consistency in the race. Now the wait shifts to Imola, where the SF24 will be in a revised guise, putting itself on par with its direct opponents. What McLaren managed to do in Miami gives hope for something different from the announced Red Bull dominance. Let’s be clear, we are not talking about world titles but about hard-fought races, perhaps with some exploits that give credit to the work of other drivers and other teams. As happened today in Miami.