Norris beats Verstappen for breakthrough maiden F1 victory
MIAMI — In a thrilling Miami Grand Prix, McLaren's Lando Norris clinched his maiden Formula 1 victory, outpacing Red Bull's Max Verstappen to cross the finish line first. This victory marks Norris's entrance into the elite club of F1 race winners.
Norris began the race in sixth position, while his teammate Oscar Piastri initially seemed poised to challenge the leaders with a strong start. However, a perfectly timed Safety Car intervention at mid-race played into Norris’s hands, allowing him an extended opening stint.
After stopping, Norris emerged from the pits in the lead with Verstappen relegated to second, having stopped under normal racing conditions. Despite a vigorous attack from Verstappen at the restart, Norris managed to hold his position and gradually extended his lead.
A composed and controlled performance saw Norris fend off Verstappen, who struggled with balance issues. This victory finally exorcised the demons of Norris’s near-miss at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, as he became a race winner on his 110th attempt.
Verstappen had to settle for second place amid his struggles behind the wheel, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc completed the podium, finishing ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz, who was involved in a late-race collision with Piastri. The incident sent the Australian back to the pits for a new front wing.
Sergio Perez finished fifth in the second Red Bull, having made another stop under the Safety Car. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell managed to salvage crucial points, finishing sixth and eighth, respectively, on what was a challenging weekend for the team.
Yuki Tsunoda earned valuable points for Red Bull with a seventh-place finish. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso crossed the line in ninth, and Esteban Ocon capitalized on Piastri’s misfortune to secure the final point, finishing 10th and giving Alpine their first point of the season.
Haas was on track for a top-10 finish, but Nico Hulkenberg slipped down the order to finish 11th, ahead of the other Alpine driver, Pierre Gasly.
Piastri, despite his late-race collision, fought back to 13th, managing to clear Zhou Guanyu's Kick Sauber just before the finish. His earlier incident prompted McLaren to instruct him to avoid further incidents that could trigger another Safety Car.
Daniel Ricciardo, after an impressive sprint, could do no better than 15th in the main race. He was followed by Valtteri Bottas in the Kick Sauber and Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin. Stroll's battle with Williams's Alex Albon earned him a penalty, relegating him down the order.
Albon finished 19th behind Kevin Magnussen from Haas, who also served a penalty for a collision with Williams’s Logan Sargeant, knocking the home favorite out of the race.
As the drivers returned to the pits, emotions ran high for Norris and the McLaren team. Team boss Zak Brown and Norris’s race engineer celebrated a milestone moment for both Norris and McLaren, marking their first win since Monza in 2021.
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