MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A smile kept spreading across Lando Norris’ face throughout the post-race media sessions.
His first victory in Formula 1 was long overdue. He came close several times, only to be foiled by small mistakes, like at Qatar 2023, and things beyond his control, like rain and strategic decisions at Sochi 2021. He joined the F1 grid in 2019 with McLaren as 19th. -years old, and now in his sixth season and heading into the Miami Grand Prix weekend, the Briton had claimed a pole position, stood on the podium 15 times and completed more than 6,000 laps.
As each driver stopped in front of the media for interviews, almost everyone addressed the same point: It’s about time.
“Well done to Lando,” said Fernando Alonso. “First victory after so many podiums. I’m really happy for him. I hope he (remembers) this day – the first of a long series of victories. The Aston Martin driver is not the only one to indicate that this will not be the final victory for the 24-year-old driver. Max Verstappen said: “I am very happy for Lando. This has been a long time coming. And it won’t be his last. He deserves it today.
The victory came at a crucial time in the sport. Over the last 28 Grands Prix, Red Bull has dominated all but two races, Singapore 2023 and Australia 2024, both won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Verstappen remained largely unchallenged, building a pretty decent lead race after race. But in Miami this weekend, McLaren took advantage of the opportunity it had to beat Red Bull in a straight fight. As Norris pulled ahead of Verstappen after the safety cars, it was a case of fresh tires and clean air beating an extremely fast car.
“He deserves a race win probably many, many years ago,” said Mercedes’ George Russell. “And I think for all Formula 1 drivers, in this era of dominance of one team and one driver, it’s always great to see someone have this chance to achieve a victory.”
Norris started last year’s Miami GP 16th and finished 17th for a struggling McLaren, which turned its season around in the second half of 2023. It now takes its first victory in three years. Oscar Piastri said he was “very happy for (Norris) and for the whole team, and I think we deserve it. Our trajectory over the past 12 months has been moving toward this moment.
Lewis Hamilton recalled his first F1 victory, also with McLaren, in 2007. The team still has “a big part of my heart”, he said, and was happy to see them win again . The Woking-based crew’s last victory in F1 came against Daniel Ricciardo at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
Before conducting post-race interviews, it is traditional for drivers to briefly chat with their team, with crew members patting their helmets or backs. Norris, however, launched himself over the barrier with joy, with members of the McLaren crew equally happy to embrace their new race winner. The emotion was overflowing.
A memory that will last a lifetime! 🧡#MiamiGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/N1t0dc7orD
– McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 5, 2024
“I’m really happy for Lando. Even though we all want to fight and win, it’s always moving to see so much emotion in one of your competitors,” said Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. “We all grew up together. I remember “I watched Lando when he was in KF3, and we all had the same dream of one day being a Formula 1 driver.”
Norris is no stranger to the hate, memes and nicknames like “Lando No Wins” popping up on social media as people discuss his record. But the Briton says the words of those close to him have more meaning and thanked his competitors for their praise and support. At parc ferme and in front of the media, various drivers hugged Norris, congratulating him on this moment that he will probably remember forever.
“As much as when you put the helmet on, you hate them and you want to beat them, and you don’t care who’s who, I’ve always had respect for the people I’ve raced against. So when someone comes [to me], especially people who have accomplished a lot, because it always means a little more,” Norris said. “So when Lewis, Fernando, Max, Charles, Carlos, whenever they come up to you or people have good words for you, I appreciate those things a lot. Because from those people, it means say something. Maybe about others, that’s not the case.
“Of those people, they’re the ones who know what it takes to make this kind of thing happen in terms of the work and time and effort it takes to do something like this. »
(Main photo by Lando Norris and George Russell: Giorgio Viera / AFP)