F1 News
Steiner expects few US fans to turn away from Papaya to Verstappen
According to Guenther Steiner, Lando Norris could put an end to Max Verstappen's dominance in Formula 1 at the Miami Grand Prix, and believes McLaren could as a result become quite popular in the US.
Steiner expects few American fans for Verstappen
The former Haas F1 team principal had a clear answer to who would American fans, mainly in Miami, will route for in 2025. "I think McLaren, they're backing quite a bit here in the States," he began to CNN.
According to him, a big turning point happened at the Miami GP last season, where Lando Norris could earn his first-ever victory in the competition "Lando broke the dominance call it like this last year at the Miami GP, and that opened up the championship," he explained.
Prior to the Miami Grand Prix, other than a DNF in Australia, Verstappen was just as dominant as he was back in the 2023 season, when he ended up winning 19 times.
To the state of Florida, McLaren arrived with a brand new upgrade package. A perfectly timed safety car also helped Norris jump the cars ahead of him, and he did not look back afterwards. "It is a very interesting brand, McLaren. So I think they will support him. But I think the main reason is because he won that race and ended the dominance of Max," Steiner said about the importance of that weekend.
The events that took place in Miami was also covered in depth by the episode two of the latest season of 'Drive to Survive'. The series also received heavy criticism, after it was spotted that Verstappen's reactions filmed in Zandvoort were also portrayed as they were filmed in the US.
The Dutchman himself was not happy with that decision, and in a livestream, he declared he had the night of his life in Miami.
This article was written in collaboration with Sandy van Wijngaarden
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!