Finally then, the grand spectacle in the sunshine which is how the Miami Grand Prix sells its high-end extravaganza of excess and expense delivered on the hype, as did the star of the show as Britain’s Lando Norris scored his first Formula One win.
It has been a long time coming but Norris deserved it and delivered definitive notice that given the machinery he is more than capable of putting the world champion, Max Verstappen, to the sword.
This was the Super Bowl-esque event in a destination city which Formula One’s owners crave and for the spectators dancing and drinking with abandon in the noisy fan zones it met the criteria. Norris was exceptional, he took some good fortune from the timing of a safety car but then had to deliver for 24 laps with flawless precision, as the triple world champion Verstappen loomed in his mirrors.
Norris not only held his nerve but demonstrated, as he has made clear in the past, he has no fear of taking on Verstappen as long he is in a straight head to head fight. This was the moment and Norris had to deliver through perhaps the most intense, pressurised, 24 laps of his life.
It has been some time coming, the debut win for the 24-year-old from Glastonbury was taken at his 110th grand prix after he made his debut at the Australian GP in 2019. He has claimed eight second places and might have had a win in Russia in 2021 only to be unlucky with late rain but he has repeatedly demonstrated the skill and verve to compete with the best at the very front.
For Norris then, who has long shown exceptional promise, this was the vindication for a driver who is much admired. Verstappen had looked to be in control out front until the race was turned on its head around the mid point. McLaren had taken a chance on leaving Norris out long before his pit stop and from where he inherited the lead.
Verstappen pitted on lap 24, and on lap 29 Logan Sargent had an accident and made contact with Kevin Magnussen, resulting in a safety car race and Norris was given a free stop, taking the lead again ahead of Verstappen. stood.
The lead held tidy on the restart on lap 33, as Verstappen struggled to gain tire speed and Norris extended his lead on new tires, but as the British driver completed the race without making a series of mistakes. , the race was incredibly tense. He knew laps were important.
A series of fastest laps followed and they began to overtake, but as expected Verstappen looked like he had nothing left to offer and complained about a lack of grip. This time, Norris took command from the front and kept his promise.
The safety car was in his favor, but Norris held his nerve with absolute iron will and finished the race like a champion. As the laps counted down, his lead widened and he took the checkered flag with a 7.6 second lead over Verstappen, taking his historic first victory.
His laughter and cheers from the cockpit were loud and he received a sporting ovation from Lewis Hamilton when the seven-time champion overtook him on the first lap.
“I love you all, thank you so much. We did it, Will,” he shouted to race engineer Will Joseph. “Looks like it’s finally over. I realized that when I came this morning and said today is a day of opportunity. Thank you, mom, thank you, dad, this is a gift for my grandmother. And he threw his body towards the team, and the crowd rushed into their welcoming arms. ”
The audience stood up and loudly applauded his accomplishment. Fans have been attending the track that winds around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens for three years now, but so far they haven’t seen anyone other than Verstappen win. The fact that America’s hugely popular driver broke the Dutch stranglehold and in the process he made history was a drama in the sport that they acknowledged with loud applause.
“I’m very happy for Lando. It’s been a long time, but it’s definitely not the last time for him. He deserves the award today,” Verstappen said, but he is still in the running for the title. Bull’s teammate Sergio Perez, who extended his lead over the Reds to 35 points, finished fifth.
As the champagne flowed, it was obvious that the fans were having fun. Finally, there’s a new winner in Miami, proving that just as there’s a place at a spa to put on a rain jacket and lounge on the grass, there’s also a place in F1 to frolic in a bikini and sip cocktails. did. As long as it lasted, there was a great show on the track, with both Miami and Norris giving excellent performances for the first time in this regard.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were third and fourth. Pérez was fifth for Red Bull, Hamilton and his teammate George Russell sixth and eighth for Mercedes, Yuki Tsunoda seventh for RB, Fernando Alonso ninth for Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon tenth for Alpine.