The 2024 Miami Grand Prix will live long in the memory of many Formula 1 fans, particularly those with a fondness for Lando Norris.
After 15 trips to the podium without a victory, Lando Norris finally stood on the top step of the podium in Florida.
Sky Sports F1 pundit and former driver Karun Chandhok was watching and listening along and shared his thoughts on Norris’s win on social media.
The pressure would have been building on Norris as soon as he exited the pits following the safety car coming out after Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen’s crash.
His pace was fantastic, but all of a sudden, he was leading the race on fresher tyres than his nearest rival Max Verstappen.
Chandhok admits he was listening to Norris’s radio throughout the race and has shared an interesting insight into what he heard when he was speaking to the McLaren team on Sunday.
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Karun Chandhok shares what he heard over Lando Norris’s team radio
The safety car returned to the pits on lap 32, meaning Norris was 25 laps away from achieving his maiden Formula 1 victory.
He had Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in his mirrors as he prepared for the restart and while he didn’t nail his getaway, he positioned his car in the right place in turn one to avoid being immediately overtaken by the Dutchman.
Verstappen made an uncharacteristic small mistake on the restart lap and was suddenly under pressure from Charles Leclerc.
That gave Norris the perfect opportunity to open up a one-second gap, meaning Verstappen wouldn’t have DRS on the following lap.
From there, Norris controlled the race beautifully and continued to extend his lead over the rest of the field.
Chandhok has now shared what he heard over Norris’s team radio as he prepared to take the chequered flag for the first time in his Formula 1 career.
He used all the experience he has accrued over the past 109 races to make sure his 110 was the most memorable in his career so far.
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Lando Norris cements place among top F1 drivers after Miami Grand Prix win
Chandhok shared a message to Norris on X and explained what he heard in his radio messages in Miami, saying: “Very pleased for @LandoNorris & @McLarenF1 , especially his race engineer Will Joseph.
“They’ve worked closely for 5 years, moulding that mature race winner we saw.
“Had the team radio on for the whole race – total calmness & confidence that they had the speed all race long.”
Norris was understandably delighted at the end of the race and was heard thanking his family over the radio after winning the Miami Grand Prix.
His race engineer Will Joseph was still suggesting things for Norris to try as he led the race, and explained on F1TV how he dealt with the pressure of the situation.
He said: “You just treat the race like it is any other race so we were monitoring everything like we normally do, Lando was driving very, very well so you try and forget it you try and put that aside and just behave like normal.”
The challenge for Norris now is to see if he can continue this form into Imola and beyond.
Max Verstappen may have been pleased for Norris after he won his first race, but he won’t want his close friend getting too comfortable on the top step of the podium.
Red Bull have now lost the same number of races in 2024 as they did during the entirety of last season.
A reliability issue cost Verstappen in Australia, but it’s clear that the gap is narrowing between the top teams in Formula 1, which is very exciting for fans of the sport.
The post Karun Chandhok shares interesting take on Lando Norris’s first win after listening to his team radio in Miami appeared first on F1 Oversteer.