In his 110th Formula 1 start, Lando Norris finally reached the top step of the podium in Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver charged to the lead on lap 30 after a round of pit stops and led the rest of the way to out-class Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen in F-1’s first stop in the United States this season.
“About time!” Norris smiled afterwards. “What a race. It’s been a long time coming, but finally I’ve managed to do it. I’m so happy for my whole team, I finally delivered for them. A long day, tough race, but finally on top, so I’m over the moon.”
The 24-year-old’s previous best finish was second (eight times), with his last coming earlier this year in the Chinese Grand Prix.
While polesitter Verstappen was considered the favorite after claiming the sprint race on Saturday, Norris gapped the Red Bull driver in the final stint after a safety car was deployed on lap 30 due to an accident involving American Logan Sargeant.
The restart, on lap 33 of 57, saw Norris gap Verstappen as he crossed the start/finish line 7.612 seconds ahead.
It was McLaren’s first victory in Formula 1 since 2021 when Daniel Ricciardo won in the Monza Grand Prix in Italy.
Behind Norris and Verstappen, Charles Leclerc placed third while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez placed fourth. After initially finishing fourth, Carlos Sainz was demoted to fifth due to an incident on track with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Lewis Hamilton jumped two places from his eighth starting spot to claim sixth. Yuki Tsunoda placed seventh with George Russell and Fernando Alonso in eighth and ninth. Esteban Ocon completed the points finishers in 10th.
As It Happened
The opening lap saw Leclerc stumble off the start as Perez overshot the first corner in an attempt to pass Leclerc. Perez nearly ran into the back of teammate Verstappen, however, his No. 11 Red Bull machine aimlessly went off-course instead.
Perez continued as he lost minimal time on track, however, he was later tagged with a false start penalty. Leclerc lost second to Piastri shortly after as Piastri attempted to chase leader Verstappen down.
While Verstappen checked out in front of the field at the 3.363-mile course, a rare mistake came from the reigning F-1 champion as he hit a cone in turn 15 chicane on lap 22. No damage was apparent from the accident as he continued on.
As pit stops ensued, Norris leapfrogged Verstappen on lap 30 in perhaps what was the move of the race. Verstappen pitted under regular race conditions while Norris pitted as the safety car deployed, allowing him to gain valuable time.
Shortly after, American Logan Sargeant wrecked out after contact with Kevin Magnussen in turn three, drawing a safety car as Piastri was about to pit. Magnussen was handed a 10-second penalty for the contact.
On lap 33, the safety car pulled in, allowing Norris to flex his muscles out front ahead of Verstappen. Norris laid down the fastest lap of the race three times after the restart.
With the leaders gapping the field, an all-out brawl between Sainz and Piastri ensued for fourth place. After the two battled it out, Sainz maneuvered ahead as he made contact with Piastri’s front wing.
Piastri was forced to pit one lap later, ending his hopes of points.