Breaking News
This is how Lando Norris won the 2024 Miami Grand Prix!
Lando Norris can now call himself a winner in Formula 1 after beating Max Verstappen in the Miami Grand Prix. The British driver benefited from a timely safety car, but McLaren's strong pace in the United States should not be denied. Fitted with upgrades, Norris pulled away from Verstappen after the safety car restart to secure his first Grand Prix victory.
A safety car caused by Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen provided a cheap pitstop for Norris when the other front-runners had already pitted. After that Norris, who started from P5, took control of the race. Verstappen attacked at the safety car restart but couldn't move within the DRS range. Those two drivers were joined on the podium by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Carlos Sainz finished in fourth place, and Perez rounded out the top five.
In his 110th Grand Prix, Norris eventually claimed a P1 on a Sunday. The 24-year-old has also lost the record for the most podiums without a victory. He becomes the first British driver to win since George Russell in November 2022. Verstappen ended his streak of wins in the United States.
Ferrari will be disappointed with their race pace after out-qualifying both McLaren drivers, and Perez perhaps could've got a better result if he had been less ambitious at the start. Lewis Hamilton stressed how he happy he was with the balance of his car ahead of the race and proved it with a P6 finish. That's the best result he has achieved in 2024. Hamilton even closed in on Perez in the closing stages of the race. His teammate, George Russell, finished 8th. Yuki Tsunoda, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon were the other point scorers.
McLaren show strong pace
All drivers in the top 14 started on the medium tyre apart from Hamilton, who put on the hard tyres. Verstappen and Leclerc shared the front-row, with Carlos Sainz ahead of Sergio Perez on the second row. The McLarens and Mercedes followed.
Perez did well to avoid a crash with Ferrari and even his teammate Verstappen at turn one. The Mexican carried a lot of speed into turn one and had to run wide. Crucially for Ferrari, Leclerc dropped out of the DRS zone almost immediately, and Oscar Piastri moved ahead of Sainz. Their plan to use DRS and open up a strategic advantage was seemingly off the cards. Things got even worse on lap five when Piastri overtook Leclerc for second place, giving an early indication of McLaren's pace in Miami. By lap 15, Piastri held the gap to three seconds, and Red Bull asked Verstappen to push a bit more.
Verstappen caused his own virtual safety car after he collided with a cone at the chicane. The cone needed to be picked up, which was done quickly. The VSC didn't last long enough for the front runners to pit. The Dutchman was initially concerned about his front-wing but Red Bull gave him the all clear. The Dutchman pitted after the VSC but he didn't climb back through the field immediately.
The two leaders, Piastri and Sainz, pitted on lap 28. This pushed Norris into the lead when a safety car was called. The safety car ended as lap 32 concluded. Norris defended Verstappen into turn one by taking the incident line. Verstappen dropped back and came under pressure from third-placed Leclerc. Norris opened up a one-second lead within one lap and never looked back.