Lando Norris is finally an F1 Grand Prix winner after 110 race starts. It needed an error by Max Verstappen and safety car luck for the McLaren driver to finish P1 in Miami on Saturday. But Norris’ best friend on the grid, Carlos Sainz, puts forward the ‘fortune favors the brave’ argument to validate the credibility of his first success.
“He deserves it for such a long time to win a race. He’s a driver that will win many races in F1. “He’s been driving at an exceptional level. Today he was on the lucky side but luck comes to people who deserve it and today he definitely deserves it,” said Sainz to Sky Sports.
Verstappen knocked down a cone on one of the chicanes, which forced him to pit to repair his damaged front wing. This gave the 24-year-old the lead. Then, Logan Sargeant’s crash around the same brought out the safety car, giving Norris a virtually free pit stop.
This series of unusual events gave Norris an edge during the safety car restart and he capitalized on it, giving no room for Verstappen reo recover. The Briton maintained his composure for the next 25 laps, and his maiden Grand Prix win was in sight.
On the final lap, making no unforced errors, Norris crossed the chequered flag and roared on his radio with pure ecstasy. It finally marked the end of him being on the receiving end of ‘he hasn’t won a race’ jokes on social media.
Lando Norris and the McLaren threat
Ahead of the Miami GP, McLaren boss Andrea Stella declared that his team will be coming with a new set of upgrades. And surely, they worked. Starting from P5, Norris backed an impressive win, thus exhibiting the actual potential of McLaren’s 2024 car.
With Red Bull initially expected to coast to another Championship victory, Ferrari and now McLaren’s respective race wins this season indicate that things may not be as easy for the Milton-Keynes-based outfit.
Norris’ win would have also reaffirmed his belief in the Papaya team, which was on the verge of breaking down during the first half of the 2023 season. Now, it is on McLaren to maintain this upward trajectory and become an actual Championship contender in 2025 (if not this year).
On the other hand, Ferrari is also reported to bring a new set of upgrades to the next race — the Emilia Romagna GP. The Maranello-based outfit wants another victory on home soil. But whether they manage to do so, remains to be seen.
