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In the effervescent arena of Miami, young British prodigy Lando Norris crossed the Rubicon of victory in Formula 1, eclipsing his competitors with dazzling mastery. Behind the wheel of his McLaren, he skillfully seized the opportunities that presented themselves, thus inscribing his name in golden letters in the history of this high-level sport. Under the blazing spotlights of the track, he relegated the formidable Max Verstappen of Red Bull to a second-place position.
Lando Norris, prodigy!
In the annals of Formula 1, a new star shines: Lando Norris, the 24-year-old prodigy, made history by winning his first Grand Prix in Miami, in his 110th outing in the elite of motorsport. His victory, though punctuated by a safety car blunder that interposed Max Verstappen in front of him, was a dazzling demonstration of his virtuosity behind the wheel of his McLaren. With a bold strategy of tire change, switching from mediums to hards, Norris distanced himself from his rivals to cross the finish line with a lead of 7.6 seconds over Verstappen and nearly 10 seconds over Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, thus deserving the honors of the podium. Amidst the hearty applause from his McLaren team and mentor Zak Brown, Norris can finally savor the sweet victory after narrowly missing success fifteen times and collecting eight second places since his debut five years ago. Starting from the fifth position on the grid, the Bristol-born driver carved his way with remarkable patience, overtaking Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez early in the race.
The climax
The decisive turn came when Pérez entered the pits on the 17th lap, allowing Norris to take the lead with a McLaren MCL38 boosted by ten new parts. Stringing together fast laps, he took the lead of the race on the 27th lap during the pit stops. Excitement reached its peak two loops later: an incident between Kevin Magnussen of Haas and Logan Sargeant of Williams resulted in the intervention of the safety car. However, a monumental confusion placed Verstappen behind Norris instead of ahead, thus offering the Briton a golden opportunity to change tires and resume the track in the lead, thereby sealing his well-deserved first victory.
The achievement of the British driver cannot be understated, as beating Red Bull in 2024 is a real feat in itself. McLaren’s driver, equipped with fresh tires, quickly distanced himself from Verstappen upon the restart, opening up an increasingly impressive gap. While he only had a 4-second lead on the 45th lap, he ultimately crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead of 7.6 seconds. The atmosphere was festive at McLaren, and at Alpine as well. The French team scored its first point of the 2024 season thanks to Esteban Ocon, who finished tenth in Miami. Pierre Gasly was not far behind, finishing twelfth behind Nico Hülkenberg from Haas. Ferrari maximized their gains with Leclerc on the podium and Carlos Sainz just behind, although the Spaniard is under investigation by the stewards for an incident with Piastri. This adds 33 additional points to the Scuderia’s tally.
