Lando Norris in the McLaren catapulted himself into the ranks of F1 winners with a remarkable breakthrough win at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix on Sunday. He overtook his Red Bull rival, Max Verstappen to secure the coveted checkered flag.
Initially running in sixth place, Norris watched as his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri made a spirited start, hinting at a potential upset. However, a timely Safety Car midway through the race played into Norris’s strategy as he extended his initial stint.
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Emerging from the pits in the lead, Norris found himself ahead of Verstappen, who had pitted under regular racing conditions. Despite Verstappen’s initial pace after the restart, Norris maintained his composure and gradually increased the gap.
Norris’s level-headed performance, coupled with Verstappen’s balance issues, ensured that the British driver exorcised the ghosts of his close call at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, finally clinching his first win after 110 attempts.
Verstappen settled for second place, struggling with his performance throughout the race, while Charles Leclerc claimed third, leading his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz, who had a late altercation with Piastri, resulting in Piastri needing a new front wing.
Sergio Perez secured fifth place in the second Red Bull, having also benefited from a pit stop during the Safety Car period. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell salvaged valuable points for Mercedes, finishing in sixth and eighth positions respectively, after a challenging weekend for the team.
Yuki Tsunoda secured seventh place for RB, while Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin finished ninth, while Esteban Ocon capitalised on Piastri’s misfortune to claim the final point for Alpine in tenth position.
Haas initially seemed poised for a top-10 finish, but Nico Hulkenberg slipped down the order as the race progressed, ultimately finishing 11th ahead of Pierre Gasly in the sister Alpine.
Piastri battled back to 13th place after his front wing change, although under McLaren’s caution not to incite further incidents or Safety Car periods with some spirited overtakes. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo could only manage 15th place after his promising performance in the Sprint race.
Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll engaged in a fierce battle, with Stroll receiving a 10-second time penalty for track limits violation. Alex Albon finished 19th behind Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, who also received a time penalty for a collision with Williams driver Logan Sargeant, forcing the latter out of the race.
As the drivers returned to the pits, Norris’s elation was evident over the radio. He celebrated with his race engineer, team principal, and Zak Brown, marking a significant milestone for McLaren with their first Grand Prix victory since Monza in 2021.
Miami GP Results
2024 Miami Grand Prix, 5 May 2024
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 57 | 1:30:49.876 | 25 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 57 | +7.612s | 18 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 57 | +9.920s | 15 |
| 4 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 57 | +14.650s | 12 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz1 | Ferrari | 57 | +16.407s | 10 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 57 | +16.585s | 8 |
| 7 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 57 | +26.185s | 6 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 57 | +34.789s | 4 |
| 9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 57 | +37.107s | 2 |
| 10 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 57 | +39.746s | 1 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 57 | +40.789s | 0 |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 57 | +44.958s | 0 |
| 13 | 81 | Oscar Piastri2 | McLaren Mercedes | 57 | +49.756s | 0 |
| 14 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 57 | +49.979s | 0 |
| 15 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 57 | +50.956s | 0 |
| 16 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 57 | +52.356s | 0 |
| 17 | 18 | Lance Stroll3 | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 57 | +55.173s | 0 |
| 18 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 57 | +76.091s | 0 |
| 19 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen4 | Haas Ferrari | 57 | +84.683s | 0 |
| NC | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 27 | DNF | 0 |
2Fastest lap: Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:30.634 (lap 43)
3Stroll incurred a 10-second time penalty for track limit violations resulting in an advantage gain.
4Magnussen was handed a 10-second time penalty for his involvement in a collision and an additional 20-second penalty for entering the pits during a Safety Car period without changing tyres.
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