Miami Grand Prix Takeaways: Lando Norris Stuns Max Verstappen for First Career Win

Miami Grand Prix Takeaways: Lando Norris Stuns Max Verstappen for First Career Win

Lando Norris won the first race of his Formula One career, shocking world championship leader Max Verstappen and a sold-out crowd at the third annual Miami Grand Prix on Sunday. A heroic opening effort and a well-timed safety car helped boost the 24-year-old to reach the checkered flag first, while Verstappen’s Red Bull settled for second and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished in third.

Here’s more from the first Grand Prix in the United States in 2024:

McLaren Makes Its Mark

Nearly three years ago, a heartbroken Norris saw his first career victory quite literally slip away in the final few laps when the driving rain began to fall in Sochi at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix. On Sunday, there were no clouds in sight—just the South Florida sunshine and a McLaren driver standing on the top step of the podium.

Norris became the first driver since Carlos Sainz in Singapore last September to beat Verstappen on track and luck was only part of the equation. He put together the longest opening stint among the leaders on medium tires and was eventually rewarded with a safety car when Kevin Magnussen clipped Logan Sargeant and sent the Williams into the wall on lap 29.

After the restart, it wasn’t so much that Norris barely staved off Verstappen—he frankly dominated the remaining laps. The Red Bull had a brief peek at the lead at turn 1 on lap 33 but never saw another opportunity as the McLaren raced ahead down the road and ultimately won by more than seven seconds.

“It's about time, huh?” Norris said after kicking off the celebrations with his pit crew. “What a race. It’s been a long time coming, but finally, I’ve been able to do it. I’m so happy for my whole team, I finally delivered for them.” 

There was a very real chance that McLaren could’ve ended up with both drivers in the top four, seeing as Oscar Piastri—who had half of the upgrades the team brought into the weekend, while Norris was given the full set—was running in second prior to the safety car. Unfortunately, Sainz and Piastri collided near the end of lap 39, forcing the McLaren driver to pit for a new front wing and fall to the back of the pack. Even still, Piastri recorded the race’s fastest lap after the late stop—a testament to the strides the Woking outfit made this weekend.

Now comfortably in third place in the constructors standings, Norris and McLaren will hope that the upgrades carry over to Imola and deeper into the season as they seek to track down Ferrari.

Ricciardo and RB on the Rise

Further down the grid, another team other than McLaren will leave the weekend largely pleased with the results at the Miami International Autodrome: RB Racing.

It all began on Friday afternoon when Daniel Ricciardo had the drive of the day, qualifying in fourth for the sprint race. The 34-year-old Australian followed that up by holding that position in Saturday’s sprint to score his first points of the year. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda also slipped into the final points-scoring position that afternoon after Lewis Hamilton was dealt a penalty for speeding in the pit lane. 

Ricciardo (15th) may not have been able to replicate his success in the sprint following a disappointing Grand Prix qualifying and penalty that he carried over from China, but Tsunoda picked up the mantle. Similar to Norris, the 23-year-old managed to hold onto his medium tires until the safety car, allowing him to not lose as much time during his one and only pit stop. From there, he battled briefly with Hamilton before nestling in between the two Mercedes—in seventh, where he eventually finished. 

When all was said and done, RB left the weekend with 12 total points (five for Ricciardo and seven for Tsunoda), matching the amount scored by Mercedes. Both drivers might fancy themselves top options to fill Sergio Pérez’s seat at Red Bull next season, but for now, both can take Miami as a jumping off point for the remainder of 2024.

Hamilton vs. Haas

In perhaps the most bizarre subplot of the weekend, the seven-time world champion found himself in a series of scraps with a new rival: Haas.

Hamilton first found himself at odds with the American team on Saturday as he and Magnussen spent much of the 19-lap sprint jockeying for the final points-scoring position. The Haas driver ended up accruing multiple 10-second penalties for gaining advantages outside of the racing lines during the battle, but the showing was enough to allow teammate Nico Hülkenberg to comfortably hold onto seventh, where he scored two championship points in the process. 

On Sunday, it was Hülkenberg’s turn to go wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton. The Haas (with medium tires) had the early advantage over the Mercedes (on hard tires), but after a few laps Hamilton seemed to be far more comfortable. He eked past Hülkenberg through a narrow, inside window only to give the place right back by locking up at the end of the same lap. Finally, the Mercedes got clear on lap 10 and never looked back, finishing in sixth—his best result in a Grand Prix this season.

Magnussen dealt a bit of chaos to the entire weekend between his tussle with Hamilton and causing the crash with Sargeant. Though there may have been some entertainment for the more than 275,000 fans on hand in Miami, the 31-year-old racked up quite a few penalty points on his license, which bears keeping an eye on as the season progresses.


Where in the World Is Logan Sargeant?

Much had been made about the future of the lone American driver on the grid coming into his home race this weekend. The Fort Lauderdale native arrived in Miami amid reports of his seat growing hotter, a sentiment that was echoed when Williams team principal James Vowles said that for Sargeant to remain in the car, he would have to pull his performance closer to teammate Alex Albon. 

Through little fault of his own, the 23-year-old American was dealt yet another blow Sunday on home soil. 

After being just a little over a tenth behind Albon in qualifying, Sargeant started the Grand Prix in 17th. He drove cleanly through the first half and seemed well on his way to at least an uneventful and confidence-building race when Magnussen clipped him at turn 3.

The blow was enough to send Sargeant’s Williams into the wall and end his afternoon early. Though he clearly had gained the apex before Magnussen arrived at the corner, he was the only driver who didn’t complete the race—at a time when a DNF was the last thing that he needed.

Sargeant seems poised to hold onto his seat in the immediate, as Vowles said this weekend that a replacement wasn’t “on the radar at the moment.” However, 17-year-old phenom Andrea Kimi Antonelli has emerged as a prime candidate to slot into the second Williams and calls for a change will only grow louder if Sargeant doesn’t show some improvement later in the month in Imola and Monaco.

Lando Norris Went Absolutely Bonkers Celebrating First Formula 1 Win at Miami Grand Prix

Lando Norris Went Absolutely Bonkers Celebrating First Formula 1 Win at Miami Grand Prix

Lando Norris claimed his first career Formula 1 win Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix, defeating the red-hot Max Verstappen and securing McLaren's second victory in the last 12 years.

Norris beat Verstappen by seven seconds to claim his first win in his sixth F1 season. He had previously held the F1 record for most podiums without a race win at 15.

After the victory, Norris celebrated with his crew in South Beach.

Verstappen started first in the race after claiming his seventh straight pole position—and sixth this season—on Saturday. However, a mid-race safety car put Norris ahead of the pack, and the McLaren driver held on to win.

In a classy move after the race, Verstappen applauded Norris from the cockpit.

The Formula 1 season will continue May 17-19 at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Italy.

Max Verstappen Nears History by Claiming Seventh Straight Pole Position in Miami

Max Verstappen Nears History by Claiming Seventh Straight Pole Position in Miami

For the seventh straight race in Formula One, Max Verstappen will start from the front of the grid.

The Red Bull driver and world championship leader claimed pole position at qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix on Saturday with yet another impressive performance at the first American event of the season. Verstappen beat out the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who finished second and third respectively.

Throughout the afternoon session under the South Florida sun, Verstappen expressed his concern with the grip of the soft tires that most of the field was using. He ultimately wasn't able to improve upon his first flying lap of the third qualifying period (1:27.241), but the time was enough for him to land on pole for the sixth time in six races in 2024.

Dating back to last season, Verstappen has earned pole position in seven consecutive races, becoming the first driver since Lewis Hamilton to accomplish the feat. Hamilton notched seven straight poles with Mercedes in 2015 from the Monaco Grand Prix to the Brazilian Grand Prix. The only driver with more is the renowned Ayrton Senna, who went a perfect 8-for-8 for McLaren from the 1988 Spanish Grand Prix to the '89 United States Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who was also the winner of Saturday's F1 sprint race, will now be well-positioned to win the Miami Grand Prix for the third year in a row. A victory would go a long way in extending his lead in the drivers' world championship standings, which has already grown to 27 points over Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez.

The Miami Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Miami Grand Prix F1 Preview: Red Bull Uncertainty, Adrian Newey Exit Draw Intrigue

Miami Grand Prix F1 Preview: Red Bull Uncertainty, Adrian Newey Exit Draw Intrigue

For the first time in 2024, Formula One will arrive back in the United States for the third annual Miami Grand Prix. Here’s what to watch at the first of three American races on the calendar this season.

Changing winds at Red Bull

Max Verstappen may already be on his way to a third consecutive world championship, but behind the scenes, the dominant force in F1 is reaching an inflection point. The biggest domino to fall yet was this week’s announcement that renowned car designer Adrian Newey is set to depart Red Bull in early 2025 and cease his role with the F1 team immediately. 

The 65-year-old chief technical officer hasn’t been on the market in nearly two decades (he joined the Milton Keynes–based outfit in 2006), a period in which he won 13 world championships with Red Bull, and is sure to have a number of suitors. Atop the list is Ferrari, which appears to be mounting an all-out rebuild, highlighted by the signing of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton to a multiyear deal. Aston Martin has also been mentioned in connection to Newey, as billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll continues to seek a meteoric climb up the grid for his team. Retirement from F1 is on the table too, though rival offers may simply be too enticing to turn down.

Newey’s departure is yet another bump for Red Bull off the track this year. Team principal Christian Horner was at the center of an external investigation into accusations of inappropriate workplace behavior before ultimately being cleared. Reports have suggested that Verstappen, who is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, has spoken with Mercedes about replacing Hamilton, though Toto Wolff dismissed the idea as just a rumor. Even Verstappen’s father said this week upon learning of Newey’s departure that  “the team is in danger of falling apart” and stressed the importance of having “key people stay on” to maintain his son’s success. Verstappen himself responded to the move Thursday, saying the designer’s exit would not have an immediate impact on his future with the team.

Turmoil aside, the 26-year-old is poised to win his third straight outing in Miami and the dominance on the track will go a long way in covering up the drama outside of the racing lines.

The battle for second place

While it appears Red Bull’s grasp on the grid’s top spot is secure, a jam-packed battle is taking shape just below. 

Ferrari (151 points in the Constructors' standings) has staked its claim as the No. 2 through five races, due largely to the best stretch of Carlos Sainz’s racing career. However, the Italian outfit missed out on a podium in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, the day after Charles Leclerc said Sainz "went a bit over the limit” in defending against him during the sprint race. The incident was discussed internally, but it’s worth wondering if harmony can be restored between the two teammates in their final year together before Sainz is replaced by Hamilton.

Ferrari’s disappointment came in conjunction with a surprising standout performance from McLaren’s Lando Norris, who nabbed a second-place finish in China, splitting the Red Bulls.

Since a pair of fourth-place outings in Saudi Arabia and Australia, teammate Oscar Piastri hasn’t kept the same pace but continues to keep delivering points (38 this season). McLaren (96 points) has promised an update to the car this weekend in Miami that may give it an upper hand in the fight.

Further down the grid, Mercedes (52 points) has labored to start the year in a way that it hasn’t since 2012 when the team finished fifth in the Constructors' championship. Two DNFs in Australia certainly didn’t help. But like McLaren, Mercedes has promised updates to the W15 this weekend in Miami. There’s no telling exactly how large of a boost the team can implement at this stage of the year but with only one practice session to work out the kinks, Miami could be a hit-or-miss event for the eight-time champions.

Miami’s sprint debut

Fresh off of a sprint race in Shanghai, Miami will hold a sprint of its own for the first time in the grand prix’s brief history. The format will come into play six times in 2024, with Saturday’s event being the second so far this season. 

A sprint in Miami is particularly intriguing due to the challenges that the circuit presents. Last year, a catastrophic spin from Leclerc on his final lap in qualifying knocked Verstappen all the way down to ninth on the starting grid, while Haas’s Kevin Magnussen managed to nab fourth and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly landed in fifth. 

All that's to say, the Miami International Autodrome is no walk in the park and teams will have just a single practice under the new sprint format. After Friday’s morning practice, drivers will immediately be thrust into sprint qualifying in the afternoon and despite the fact that they’ll have another chance to get their setups right in qualifying for the grand prix on Saturday afternoon, there won’t be another low-stakes session to make tweaks. Given that a few teams are introducing upgrades, it’ll pay dividends to make adjustments early and quickly.

Formula One Driver Carousel: What We Know About the 2025 Grid Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix

Formula One Driver Carousel: What We Know About the 2025 Grid Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix

With five races already in the books in the 2024 Formula One season, the action on track is heating up. Max Verstappen and Red Bull have grabbed commanding leads in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, but behind the scenes, the annual silly season has begun and the carousel of drivers has started to spin.

Before teams take to the grid Sunday at the third annual Miami Grand Prix, let’s take a look at what’s happened so far and what might be on the horizon when it comes to movement around the paddock for the 2025 season.

Who’s on the move

Heading into the season, a handful of seats were already predetermined. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will continue to form one of the most fearsome young duos on the grid at McLaren, George Russell will remain at Mercedes, and Alex Albon still has one year left on his deal with Williams. As for the contracts signed in 2024 … 

Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari, multiyear deal)

It’s not every day that a seven-time world champion decides to depart from the outfit where he made his case to be the greatest driver in F1 history. However, Hamilton had previously maintained that driving for the Prancing Horse was a lifelong dream and he’ll now get the chance to close out his record-setting career in what could be perhaps the biggest challenger to Red Bull for the foreseeable future.

This year hasn’t been what Hamilton envisioned with Mercedes and he’s currently ninth (19 points) in the drivers’ standings going into Miami. When he joins Ferrari in 2025, the 39-year-old may have his best—and last—chance to dethrone Red Bull and break the stalemate with Michael Schumacher by winning an eighth world championship.

Fernando Alonso (re-signed Aston Martin, multiyear deal)

Consistency is everything in F1 and it’s hard to think of a more consistent force in the paddock than Alonso. Dating back to last season (his first with Aston Martin), the 42-year-old has scored points in 24 of 27 races and finished on the podium eight times. 

Team owner Lawrence Stroll has shown a commitment to spending in order to compete in the upper echelon of the grid and keeping Alonso around into the start of the new regulations in 2026 only reinforces that mindset. At that point, along with the addition of new Honda power units, Aston Martin will hope to be well-positioned as a real championship contender.

Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber, multiyear deal)

The latest domino to fall came without much fanfare, in part because reports and rumors had connected the 36-year-old F1 journeyman to the new Audi project for weeks. Hülkenberg also did little to silence the whispers.

Assessing what the outlook for Hülkenberg and Sauber (which will become Audi in 2026) is in the short-term is difficult. The German driver has been a presence in the sport dating back to 2010 but has never stood on a podium. That’s not to say that he hasn’t done a remarkable job at getting the most out of the least, as evidenced by scoring points in three of five races in this year’s Haas. What’s most intriguing here is what becomes of the two current Sauber drivers Valterri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, especially should Audi continue to look outside of the current roster to round out its lineup.

Biggest chips still to fall

Carlos Sainz

From the moment that Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari and Charles Leclerc was revealed to be the team’s choice to keep in-house, the paddock began to wonder what would become of Carlos Sainz. The reveal also seemed to put a massive chip on the 29-year-old’s shoulder.

Sainz has outperformed Leclerc in nearly every race thus far this season, a fact even Leclerc acknowledged prior to the race in China. Had he not had a bout of appendicitis for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sainz might very well be second in the drivers’ standings going into Miami.

What’s next for Sainz remains unclear, but he has options. Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko said the team was in discussions  with the Spaniard’s camp, but admitted that Sauber already had a “lucrative offer” on the table. Should Sainz continue this recent run of success, whichever team lands him for next year should consider itself lucky.

Mercedes’ Second Seat

Replacing Hamilton was always going to prove a difficult task for Toto Wolff and the Silver Arrows, but it’s all the more challenging to have to do so on short notice. Thankfully for Mercedes, Hamilton announced his decision early in the year, giving Wolff and Co. time to get to work.

The most seismic move would be finagling Verstappen away from Red Bull, an option Wolff admitted he’d be interested in earlier this season. The two-time reigning world champion is under contract until 2028, and Wolff recently dismissed rumors that Mercedes had spoken to Verstappen, so a second blockbuster probably isn’t on the way. But with renowned chief technical officer Adrian Newey on his way out at Red Bull, the 24-year-old Dutch driver may be starting to reconsider his future.

If Mercedes is looking for a proven option, Sainz or a reunion with Bottas seem to be the clear routes to take. One thing’s for certain: Wolff needs to make the right pick or he risks seeing his team fall further down the pecking order.

The Wide World of Red Bull 

If anything should feel certain in F1, it’s Verstappen in a Red Bull—though lately even that seems more unstable than ever—but as for the rest of the seats at the two Red Bull-affiliated outfits, uncertainty abounds.

Sergio Pérez’s grip on the second seat at Red Bull seems to change each weekend there’s a race, even though his start to 2024 (85 points) has been as strong as last year’s. When Marko confirmed that talks with Sainz had taken place, he even admitted that Pérez is the clear best option if he maintains his current form.

Turmoil at the front of the grid will also surely have an impact further down at RB, the team formerly known as AlphaTauri and Toro Rosso. Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo, the latter of whom has yet to score a point this season, have been mentioned for months as possible heirs to the second seat alongside Verstappen, but neither driver seems capable of grabbing the reins. As of now, neither driver is even under contract to return to RB, so without some sort of performance improvement, both could find themselves without a spot on the grid when the dance ends.

Names to keep an eye on

Sebastian Vettel 

Sure, the return of the four-time world champion seems unlikely given the apparent finality of his retirement following the 2022 season. However, Vettel himself cracked the door back open earlier this year, which immediately reignited the rumor mill. It’s hard to imagine the 36-year-old returning for a seat in the midfield, meaning there are only so many spots for him to land but it’s not out of the question.

Oliver Bearman

The 18-year-old made quite the impression in the paddock when filling in for Sainz at this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. A daring drive and seventh-place finish, ahead of both Norris and Hamilton, quickly established Bearman as an intriguing option for a seat in 2025. With Ferrari’s garage now full, Haas or another mid-to-bottom tier team should give the Chelmsford native a quality chance to develop.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

A budding phenom in the Mercedes development system, Antonelli already got the opportunity to conduct an F1 test with the team at the Red Bull Ring in mid-April. Wolff pumped the brakes on any guarantee that the 17-year-old Italian would soon be making the leap to the grid, explaining that the test was a part of a monthslong plan to continue the young driver’s development. Nevertheless, Mercedes seems to see a future for Antonelli in F1—a future that may be closer than previously thought.

Another Red Bull Leader Departs, Causing More Max Verstappen Concern for Future

Another Red Bull Leader Departs, Causing More Max Verstappen Concern for Future

As Max Verstappen prepares to race in the Miami Grand Prix this weekend, another internal shakeup at Red Bull calls his future with the team into question.

On Wednesday, Red Bull confirmed legendary designer Adrian Newey would be departing from the team in the first quarter of 2025. The confirmation comes a week after reports emerged that Newey informed Red Bull of his desire to leave. Newey, who spent the last 19 years with Red Bull, released a statement once the news became official.

The team said he'll be immediately stepping away from any F1 duties to "focus on final development and delivery of Red Bull's first hypercar." Ferrari appear favorites to land Newey, who is free to join another team as soon as he's done at Red Bull.

A tumultuous year so far has called Verstappen's long-term standing with Red Bull into question. The superstar driver will hit free agency in 2028, with a rumored exit clause for 2024. Between Newey's departure and the Christian Horner scandal, Red Bull is in the middle of a whirlwind of chaos.

Verstappen's father, former racer Jos Verstappen, spoke to the media on his son's future earlier this week. After news of the Newey departure hit the racing world, he expressed his great concern for Red Bull to Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf. As translated by Racingnews365.com:

“The team is in danger of falling apart. I was afraid of that earlier this year,” Jos Verstappen told De Telegraaf. “For internal peace, it is important that key people stay on board. That is not the case now.

"Newey is leaving and earlier this year it also looked like Helmut would be sent away. For the future, that is not good.”

Red Bull are suffering one blow after another so far in 2024, and the team may be running out of time to turn it around. Regardless of what happens at this weekend's Grand Prix or any other race, Red Bull are on the clock to convince Verstappen to stick with the only team he's ever known.

Max Verstappen's Dad Hints at How Red Bull Can Win New Contract With Champion

Max Verstappen’s Dad Hints at How Red Bull Can Win New Contract With Champion

Over the next five years, Formula One could change dramatically. In that time period, the entire power supply ecosystem will be flipped on its head, Lewis Hamilton will have presumably driven for or still be driving for Ferrari, and reigning champion Max Verstappen could become a free agent.

Verstappen, once viewed as a longshot to leave behind the organization he has spent his entire F1 career with (first with Scuderia Toro Rosso, the sister team of Red Bull), now appears to be more of a flight risk. He has won three consecutive World Drivers' Championships and appears a strong possibility to earn his fourth in 2024. Going into Miami weekend, he is ahead of the No. 2 driver, his teammate Sergio Perez, by 25 points.

But despite powerful results on the track, lingering turmoil having to do with allegations of misconduct by team boss Christian Horner and other members of the team creates enough noise for doubts to start to creep in.

Verstappen's dad, a former F1 driver himself, recently spoke to the press and suggested there's an opportunity for Red Bull -- or, really, any team -- to prove Verstappen they're worthy of his continued involvement. Jos, Max's dad, gestured toward 2026 as the period to learn what might be next for Verstappen.

“He has a fast car, but we also have to look further to 2026, so we are letting everything come to us at the moment. We stay very calm and see what will happen,” Jos Verstappen said to RaceXpress as transcribed and translated by RacingNews365 recently.

That timeline lines up directly with new power supplies that will emerge when the FIA mandates technical changes to the regulations of the engines. Red Bull, who has seen much of its success come with a Honda engine, will switch to making their own engines for the new regulations in partnership with Ford. It makes it clear ... The car is fast now, but will it still be with the new engine?

Verstappen has declared he sees no reason for the team to panic over the change, but a failure to launch with a new engine in addition to some of the lingering turmoil with personnel could certainly lead Verstappen to more heavily consider other options when he hits free agency in 2028.

He also has a rumored exit clause that could lead to his departure in 2024. The clause is tied to Helmut Marko leaving the team.