And the day of Lando Norris came. The 24-year-old Englishman from McLaren-Mercedes achieved his first F1 victory in Miami. He had been chasing her for 110 Grands Prix, when he made his debut with McLaren, a team to which he has always remained faithful, in the 2019 Australian GP. Norris immediately showed great talent, already highlighted in the minor formulas having won F3 in 2017 and being was F2 vice champion behind George Russell in 2018. Norris in F1, before Miami, had scored 15 podiums with seven third places and eight second positions. Finally everything went right, the safety car that came in for the accident between Kevin Magnussen and Alexander Albon arrived at the right time for him, who changed his tires at that moment having delayed the pit stop.
Norris thus maintained the lead, which he had acquired when Max Verstappen had also gone to change tires six laps earlier. But with the hard tires, the world champion’s Red Bull lost the grip that had allowed him to keep the lead in the Grand Prix. Verstappen was unable to catch up to Norris, who increased his lead to 7″. Norris’s victory coincides with the return to success of McLaren, whose last first place was in the 2021 Monza GP with Daniel Ricciardo. It should be remembered that the owner of the team is Zak Brown while the main team is the Italian Andrea Stella.
It’s a shame for Ferrari who, as in China, let themselves be beaten by McLaren, where Norris had placed second ahead of Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque thus achieved another third place. It looked like he could catch Verstappen, but he didn’t make it. Fourth was the other Ferrari driven by a combative Carlos Sainz. In the finale, he dueled hard with Oscar Piastri, protagonist of the first part of the race with the second McLaren. However, to resist Sainz’s overtaking, the Australian pushed the Spaniard off the track. Sainz didn’t forgive him and after a few laps he returned the favor. They also came into contact and Piastri lost the front wing and then had to stop in the pits to change the nose.
Fifth place for Sergio Perez with Red Bull. The Mexican at the start risked causing a disaster by braking too long to overtake the two Ferraris. At the first corner he grazed Verstappen, taking Sainz, who had started better than Leclerc, wide, favoring Piastri’s leap forward, from fifth to third. Good race by Lewis Hamilton, good sixth with a Mercedes always in crisis, then Yuki Tsunoda who brought very precious points to Racing Bulls, the second Red Bull team based in Faenza.
The news
Norris wins the Miami GP, first F1 success for the 24-year-old Englishman. Verstappen is second and joins his friend Lando in congratulations. Third position for Leclerc, fourth Sainz ahead of Perez Hamilton Tsunoda Russell Alonso and Ocon, these are the drivers with the points. Followed by Hulkenberg Gasly Piastri Zhou Ricciardo Bottas Stroll Magnussen Albon
Last lap for Norris, who is flying towards his first victory in F1
Lap 54 – Ricciardo goes to attack Albon, who makes a mistake braking and goes away
Situation at minus 5 laps – Norris Verstappen Leclerc Sainz Perez Hamilton Tsunoda Russell Alonso Ocon Hulkenberg Gasly Stroll Zhou Albon Ricciardo Piastri Bottas Magnussen
Lap 52 – Nice overtaking by Stroll on Albon who then also loses position on Zhou
Meanwhile, a duel at the rear between the Australians Ricciardo and Piastri
Lap 51 of 57 – Hamilton is trying everything to keep Perez in his sights
Alonso gets the better of Ocon with a nice overtaking move and goes up to ninth
10 laps to go – Verstappen now seems to have given up and is 5.2 seconds behind Norris
Battle between Ocon and Alonso for ninth place
Lap 46 – Norris pulls away incredibly and is 4.7 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Leclerc fails to take advantage of Red Bull’s difficult situation and is 2″ behind the Dutchman. Behind him, 3″ away is Sainz who controls Perez and Hamilton
Lap 45 – Stroll overtakes Ricciardo, the hero of the Sprint race which ended in fourth place, for 15th place
15 laps to go – Norris +3″5 Verstappen +6″ Leclerc +10″ Sainz +11″7 Perez +12″7 Hamilton +15″2 Tsunoda +16″7 Russell +19″ Ocon +19″8 Alonso then Gasly Hulkenberg Albon Zhou Ricciardo Stroll Bottas Magnussen Piastri
Lap 41 – Verstappen complains about the poor handling of his RB20
Piastri has his front wing damaged due to a slight contact with Sainz and goes to the pits to change the nose. Race ruined
Lap 40 – Saiinz attacks Piastri, passes him and takes him out, returning the previous “favor”. Piastri doesn’t fit, Sainz attacks again, but makes a mistake and goes wide. Piastri is also overtaken by Perez and Hamilton
Lap 39 – No action from the race direction towards Piastri for the maneuver on Sainz, who gets angry
Lap 37 – Norris extends his lead to 2″2 over Verstappen who has 1″6 over Leclerc. At 5″6 from Norris there is Piastri who has Sainz Perez Hamilton Tsunoda Russell and Ocon behind him, this is the top 10
Lap 35 – Norris takes 1″4 on Verstappen who is 7 tenths ahead of Leclerc. Sainz attacks Piastri, who however takes him off the track. Hamilton overtakes Tsunoda
Lap 33 of 57 – The race restarts and Norris, thanks to tires that are 6 laps fresher than Verstappen, gains a few metres. Leclerc attacks Verstappen
The positions behind the SC: Norris Verstappen Leclerc Piastri Sainz Perez Tsunoda Hamilton Russell Ocon Alonso Gasly Albon Zhou Ricciardo Hulkenberg Stroll Bottas Magnussen
The safety car finally found Norris, a sensational mistake by the race direction
Actually no, the SC entered the track in the wrong position, ahead of Verstappen and not Norris
Norris arrives in the pits for the first pit stop, but he missed the good lap due to the SC, very unlucky. So now it’s last
Lap 29 – Accident between Magnussen and Sargeant, the safety car enters. Perez makes a second pit stop. Also in the pits were Tsunoda Zhou Ricciardo, also Hulkenberg for the second time and Stroll
Lap 28 – In the pits Piastri and Sainz for the pit stop, they start again on hard tyres
Still without pit stops Piastri Sainz Norris Tsunoda Zhou and Ricciardo
Lap 27 – Hamilton in the pits for the pit stop and is on medium tires having started with the hard ones
Russell overtakes Ocon and takes 11th place
Hamilton complains that without the cone it is very difficult to see the apex of the chicane
Lap 25 – Pit stop for Russell, hard tires and he returns ahead of Hulkenberg in full battle with Alonso, who passes him
Piastri leads on Sainz Norris Verstappen Leclerc Hamilton Russell Perez Tsunoda Zhou Ricciardo Ocon who passes Hulkenberg Alonso Gasly Stroll Albon Sargeant Magnussen Bottas
Lap 24 – Verstappen in the pits to fit hard tires, the front wing is fine, no damage
Lap 23 – The remains of the cone hit by Verstappen need to be removed, virtual safety car. In the pits Ocon Alonso Magnussen
Verstappen makes an error at the chicane, he cuts it and hits a cone. It may have damaged the front wing
Lap 21 – Leclerc easily catches up and overtakes Hamilton
Verstappen +3″5 Piastri +6″ Sainz +10″5 Norris +22″ Hamilton +23″2 Leclerc +25″5 Russell + 27″6 Tsunoda +30″ Perez +32″3 Ocon then Alonso Zhou Magnussen Ricciardo Hulkenberg Gasly Stroll Albon Sargeant Bottas
Lap 20 – Pit stop for Leclerc, hard tyres. Charles returns sixth
Lap 18 – Piastri still keeps Leclerc a few meters away, who is applying pressure. Sainz has broken away from them and is 2″ behind his teammate
Perez returns tenth ahead of Alonso
Lap 18 – Perez in the pits to fit hard tyres
Duel between Peerz and Norris for fifth place
Piastri seems to be struggling to keep up with the pace in the first laps and Leclerc is practically in his wake
Lap 15 – Sargeant and Bottas also in the pits on hard tyres
Perez struggles to keep up with the two Ferraris and follows them 3″ having to watch out for Norris
Lap 13 – Hulkenberg and Gasly in the pits, hard tires for both and they return ahead of Stroll fighting with Albon
Lap 12 – Nice move by Russell who overtakes Hulkenberg for eighth place
Lap 11 – In the pits Albon is on hard tyres
Lap 10 – Verstappen +2″7 Piastri +3″3 Leclerc +4″4 Sainz +6″2 Perez +7″6 Norris then Hamilton who overtook Hulkenberg, Russell Tsunoda Stroll Gasly Alonso Albon Ocon Sargeant Zhou Bottas Magnussen Ricciardo
Hulkenberg’s race was fantastic as he held his own against the two Mercedes of Hamilton and Russell in the Haas
Verstappen leads with a 2″4 lead over Piastri, 3″3 Leclerc followed by Sainz Perez Norris. Risk of contact between Hulkenberg and Hamilton with the German pressing the Mercedes driver towards the wall
Lap 7 – Sainz makes it clear to the Ferrari garage that he has more than Leclerc
Piastri with the McLaren immediately gains half a second on Leclerc who is now approached strongly by Sainz
Piastri unleashed attacks Leclerc and goes second
4th lap – Verstappen has 1″6 on Leclerc, 2″2 on Piastri followed closely by Sainz, with Perez further behind
The replay highlights how Perez grazed Verstappen at the first corner after the start
2nd lap – Verstappen leads from Leclerc, an excellent Piastri who slipped inside the chaos sown by Perez to climb to third, then Sainz Perez Norris Hulkenberg Hamilton Tsunoda Russell Stroll Gasly Alonso Ocon Albon Sargeant Magnussen Zhou Bottas and Ricciardo
Verstappen starts well, Leclerc is overtaken by Sainz badly, but Perez at the first corner tries a desperate overtaking on the two Ferraris, goes long and Sainz has to widen, leaving second place to Leclerc
Born in 2022, the Miami GP has seen only one winner in the two previous editions: Verstappen
The reconnaissance tour begins
Singer Camila Cabello at the Mercedes garage
Hamilton and Magnussen start with the hard ones, only Bottas with the soft ones, all the others with the medium ones
Marc Anthony, 55 year old singer and actor, performed to the tune of the American anthem
It’s 29 degrees in Miami, while the asphalt has a temperature of 47 degrees. No worries regarding the possible arrival of rain.
It’s a great opportunity that presents itself to Ferrari in the Miami Grand Prix. Of course, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull-Honda is always ahead of everyone, on pole for the sixth consecutive time, but the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are immediately behind, in second and third position. And they will try the coup. Plan? A perfect start from Leclerc, grasping Verstappen, with Sainz trying to annoy the Dutchman allowing his teammate to escape. It will be possible? This is the hope, but there is also a plan B, based on the strategy of using tires. The match will be long and therefore we will try to hit the opponent in the hips. But Red Bull also has its plans, which include Verstappen capable of immediately pulling ahead and Sergio Perez, fourth on the grid, who will slowly advance, overtaking the two Ferraris to score a one-two. In short, it is a race to be enjoyed right from the start, on a city route that is not easy, and which can hold quite a few surprises.
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