Verstappen beaten

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Lando Norris is a Grand Prix winner in Formula 1!

(Bild: AFP/APA/Giorgio Viera)

Formula 1 has a new Grand Prix winner! Lando Norris had already finished on the podium 15 times, but it had never been enough to win. Until Sunday ... The McLaren driver raced to his first victory in the premier class in Miami, relegating world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to second and third place.

Norris secured the first McLaren victory since Daniel Ricciardo won at Monza in 2021. The Briton also won his first Grand Prix thanks to an unintentional assist from the safety car shortly after half the race distance.

Lando Norris is a Grand Prix winner in Formula 1.

(Bild: AFP/APA/Giorgio Viera)

The final score:

"We did it!" shouted Norris as he crossed the finish line. "It was about time. What a race. It took a long time, I finally got to do it for my team and deliver for them." Many people had doubted him, said the 24-year-old from Bristol and thanked his parents and his grandmother, to whom he dedicated the victory. "I already knew on Friday that we had the pace. Today we managed to put it together. We had the perfect strategy."

(Bild: Getty Images/APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Rudy Carezzevoli)

"Then I'll take that"
Verstappen presented himself as a fair loser. "You win, you lose - we're all used to that in racing. Today it was just difficult, even on the medium tires we couldn't get away. As soon as they switched to the hard tires, they were fast. If a bad day means second place, then I'll take that," he said, offering his congratulations. "I'm happy for Lando. It's been a long time coming and it won't be his last. He deserved it today."

Everything was still fine for Verstappen at the start of the sixth race of the season. He kept the lead ahead of Leclerc, who was overtaken by Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren on the fourth lap. The Australian also had no chance against Verstappen, who had already pulled away.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Post on the track
A brief deployment of the virtual safety car was called on lap 23 in order to be able to remove a crash barrier that Verstappen had knocked over from the track. Verstappen then had the first tire change carried out. Piastri lost his place to Leclerc after his pit stop and later dropped back even further after damage to the front wing.

"Free stop" for Norris
When the safety car actually had to come out onto the track after a crash involving local hero Logan Sargeant in the Williams, a mistake was made: the car got in front of the now second-placed Verstappen and not in front of the leader Norris, who was the last of the leading group to turn into the pit lane. As, unlike Verstappen, he was not slowed down by the safety car, he was given a "free stop", so to speak, and stayed ahead of the Dutchman. Even after the race resumed, the Briton kept Verstappen behind him with fresher tires - there were still over 20 laps to go.

Max Verstappen (l.) and Lando Norris

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"I can't get the car to turn in. It's a disaster," grumbled the championship leader from time to time. With 14 laps to go, he was just under four seconds behind - and let the gap slip even further. Norris thus took his first victory, while Verstappen could at least console himself with the fact that the championship lead over his team-mate Sergio Perez continued to grow. The Mexican only finished fifth behind Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari.

In the crowd of celebrities surrounding the race - including Zinedine Zidane, Lindsey Vonn, professional footballer Odell Beckham Jr, musician will.i.am and film producer Jerry Bruckheimer - former US President Donald Trump, who could be re-elected as head of state in November, stood out. The appearance of the politician, who has been embroiled in numerous legal disputes, through the McLaren garage was accompanied by boos but also applause from the stands.