The Lando Norris gamble that inspired brilliant first F1 win
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Can you recall a more celebrated victor in recent Formula 1 history? It's highly doubtful. Following the race's end, every single person was eager to felicitate Lando Norris, including his ecstatic McLaren crew, the other drivers, and even Donald Trump, who was in attendance at the Hard Rock Stadium, was overshadowed by the Bristol lad and his unwavering grin.
Everyone was talking about how it took a really long time for the 24-year-old to win a Formula 1 race. And it's true. After competing in 110 races and landing on the podium 15 times, there was also a really bad incident in Russia three years ago. But Norris finally won a race on Sunday, and became the 21st British Formula 1 race winner. It's been 18 months since they last played God Save the King at a Formula 1 podium ceremony.
Just like in most top-level sports, luck also had a role to play in the Florida sun. Norris began the race from fifth position, only a day after being involved in a crash on the first lap of the sprint race. Despite this setback, Norris remained positive and saw potential opportunities ahead. During the team briefing on Sunday morning, he expressed his optimism. However, with Max Verstappen starting from pole position once more, it seemed like a difficult challenge to surpass the Red Bulls and Ferraris who were leading the race.
Norris and his fellow teammate Oscar Piastri had a tough race at the grand prix. Even though Piastri's race was ruined and Norris saw victory within reach, they both demonstrated impressive speed throughout the 57 laps. Piastri managed to climb up to second place in just a few laps and impressively managed to keep the Ferraris at bay. Norris, like a predator waiting to strike, stayed right behind the leading four racers.
"I'll fetch him," he told the race engineer, Will Joseph, when given the responsibility of passing Carlos Sainz ahead of him. As he later clarified, he wouldn't actually need to overtake any vehicles on the track.
During lap 28, Norris found himself in the lead after his competitors made their pit stops. Suddenly, there was an opportunity due to a collision between Magnussen and Sargeant, resulting in a safety car. Norris took advantage of this opportunity and made a pit stop for fresh tires at no cost. Once the safety car picked up the rest of the 19-cars, Norris was now the new leader of the race in his signature papaya-colored car.
The McLaren took a gamble in Miami and it turned out to be a great success.
Can Norris maintain his lead over Verstappen for the remaining 25 laps? The most challenging moment occurred at the beginning when Verstappen was very aggressive and pushed Norris all the way to the home straight. However, Norris stayed composed and kept his position along the inside. It was not apparent at the time, but this ensured his first victory.
Despite what was predicted, Verstappen wasn't able to catch up to Norris. The British driver took the lead by more than a second, which gave him an advantage by not having to rely on the DRS. As the laps went by, Norris continued to widen his lead.
He proceeded without any obstacles; Red Bull were unable to intervene.
The final moments of the race were quite tense, as evidenced by the worried expressions on the faces of those in the McLaren garage. However, Norris managed to overcome his nerves and come out on top. He's been in a similar situation before, where he's come close to winning but ultimately fallen short, leaving him feeling unfulfilled even as he stood on the podium. But this time was different – he was able to celebrate his victory with a sense of happiness and relief that was obvious to everyone around him.
He yelled loudly through the team radio, "Will, we did it! This is how it's supposed to be done. I'm overjoyed that we finally made it." His delighted mechanics were there to catch him as he jumped into their arms, marking McLaren's first triumph since September 2021 in Monza.
For Norris, it was a major challenge that he was able to conquer after a long time, like removing a figurative monkey from his back. This also shows how quickly Zak Brown's McLaren team has risen. The American CEO, who showed Trump around the garage before the race, along with the Italian team principal Andrea Stella, have re-energized the Woking-based team over the past year. They are determined to bring back the glory days for McLaren, a once dominant team in Formula 1.
With one of the fastest cars in the first five races, McLaren entered this race with ten impressive upgrades. The remarkable outcome on Sunday was evident on the timesheet and even top teams like Ferrari and Red Bull couldn't keep up. With Carlos Sainz's outstanding win in Australia, along with three different winners in the first six races, it seems like this season could be even more competitive than anticipated.
It is unclear whether Lewis Hamilton's claims will come true. Despite all the media interviews, selfies, and praise from his colleagues, Hamilton urged Norris to change his travel plans to celebrate on Sunday night in Miami. The most prominent image of the moment was of Norris, clearly awestruck, overwhelmed with emotion, and brimming with pure joy. He had a huge grin on his face, stretching from ear to ear.
"He told us he's not going to bed," he declared after the party in Miami on Sunday night, indicating that it seemed like the flight had already been cancelled. "I'm going to keep it going till the end!" That's understandable, Lando. As everyone has stated, this has been a long time in the making.
