After the chequered flag, everybody under the sun wanted to congratulate Lando Norris: his jubilant McLaren team, his fellow drivers, even Donald Trump, present at the Hard Rock Stadium, seemed outshone by the boy from Bristol and his unshakable smile at the end of the Miami Grand Prix.
The phrase on everyone’s lips was that it had been a “long time coming” for the 24-year-old. That’s true. 110 races, 15 podiums and one excruciating mishap in Russia three years ago speak to that. But Norris has finally entered the winners’ circle, on Sunday becoming the 21st Briton to win a Formula One race. For the first time in 18 months, “God Save the King” was belted out at the F1 podium ceremony.
As often is the case in the slender margins of elite sport, fortune played its role in the Florida heat. Norris started fifth on the grid, a day after crashing out on lap one of the sprint race, with optimism perhaps surprisingly high. He’d stated in the team briefing on Sunday morning that it was a day “full of opportunities”. Yet with Max Verstappen on pole position once again, overhauling the Red Bulls and Ferraris out in front seemed a daunting task.
This story is from the May 07, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the May 07, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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