WHAT WE LEARNED FROM LANDO NORRIS' MAIDEN F1 WIN IN MIAMI
Lando Norris took his maiden Formula 1 victory after 110 races at the Miami Grand Prix. The McLaren driver benefitted from a safety car to take the lead and pulled away from Max Verstappen in the race's closing stages.
Let's take a look at what we learned from the first of three races in America before Formula 1 heads to Imola in two weeks.
Lando Norris can put ghosts of Russia 2021 to bed
Norris performed admirably in the heat of Miami, reaping the benefits of an upgraded McLaren to become the 21st British driver to win a Grand Prix.
He suffered a stuttering weekend leading up to the Grand Prix, getting beaten by his teammate in sprint qualifying and retiring after a collision from the sprint itself on the opening lap.
McLaren showed signs of having an improved car after setting competitive lap times at the sharp end of the field in the early stages of sprint qualifying.
Norris has previously come agonizingly close to winning in Formula 1, most notably at the Russian Grand Prix in 2021.
In Miami, the 24-year-old benefitted from a safety car caused by Kevin Magnussen and hometown hero Logan Sargeant colliding.
Norris capitalized on Verstappen suffering damage to the floor of his Red Bull midway through the race, building up a sizeable advantage to comfortably win the race.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull are not invincible
Despite finishing second in the Grand Prix, Verstappen holds a comfortable 33-point lead over his nearest challenger, teammate Sergio Perez, at the top of the standings.
The championship leader is still the heavy favorite for this year's world title and is marching toward his fourth championship, the same as Frenchman Alain Prost's tally.
The event in Miami was the second race this season that the reigning world champion has failed to win. In Australia, the 26-year-old suffered an issue with his rear right brake, forcing him to retire.
Heading into the European season, starting with Imola in Italy in two weeks, the Dutchman will be eager to return to winning ways after a period of change within the Austrian team. Chief technical officer Adrian Newey announced he will leave the team in 2025.
Logan Sargeant under pressure as Andrea Kimi Antonelli awaits F1 chance
Sargeant's first home race of the season ended in a non-finish after a crash with Magnussen, an incident that changed the face of the race at the front.
The American has yet to score a point this season and has been outclassed by teammate Alex Albon during their time together at Williams since the start of 2023.
17-year-old Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli is too young to race in Formula 1 as he is under the minimum age of 18. The FIA received a request to grant the Italian a super license before his 18th birthday later this year.
The FIA F2 driver is also undertaking an extensive testing program in Mercedes F1 machinery to get accustomed to Formula 1 cars.
Sargeant will be eager to respond after a tricky start to the year, starting at Imola, a track he drove in Formula 2 in 2022.
More must-reads:
- Lando Norris wins Miami Grand Prix for his first career F1 victory
- Inside McLaren's epic one-year turnaround
- The 'NFL MVP runners-up' quiz
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