Norris After First F-1 Win: ‘I Just Want To Smile The Rest Of The Day’

It’s been a longtime coming for Lando Norris to land on the top step of the Formula 1 podium since his first race in 2019.

Entering Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, Norris placed one spot shy of hoisting the winner’s trophy eight times prior. However, Sunday was, in his words, “my day.”

“It’s Incredible,” Norris began. “I don’t know what I’m gonna say, I just want to smile the rest of the day. It’s an amazing feeling, seeing everyone applauding, cheering and seeing the whole team there, so happy. I’ve let them down a few times, but I think today makes up for every moment that we’ve had together. 

“The ups and downs, today overtakes everything by a country mile. Just happiness and spreading the happiness and kind of spreading it everywhere with my team, with McLaren, is something I’ve dreamed of doing for a long time. Today I managed to do it.”

At a loss for words, Norris’ smile beamed bright as he searched for the words to describe the impact of his first victory. 

“It’s hard to describe what it is,” Norris said. “As much as I think of so many things, I’m also just empty. I don’t know what I’m gonna say. Just happy. I’m just gonna smile and not talk.”

The first stint was what set up Norris’ winning drive. On the initial start, Sergio Perez overshot the corner, narrowly missing Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Norris. The McLaren driver lost valuable positions, however, he remained calm in the cockpit. 

“From that point on, I was like, ‘OK, it’s a long game, there’s not gonna be a lot of overtake,'” Norris began. “‘It’s gonna be a race about tire management and strategy.’ Everyone knows that the longer you go, the more opportunity you buy yourself with safety cars and VSC (virtual safety cars) and all those things.”

The 24-year-old inherited the lead on lap 30 after a safety car was deployed due to Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen colliding. Polesitter Max Verstappen pitted right before the safety car, giving Norris the opportunity to leapfrog the reigning F-1 champion for the lead.

Once in the lead, the final restart with 24 laps to go was Norris’ shining moment as he gapped the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver by over seven seconds to the checkered flag.