Lando Norris has received a message from 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill after winning his first race in Miami. Norris finally broke his duck last weekend at the 110th time of asking.
Norris started fifth but took a chance by running long on his first stint and it paid off. Kevin Magnussen’s collision with Logan Sargeant led to a safety car, and he dived into the pits.
That saw him leapfrog Max Verstappen in the pecking order after the Red Bull driver made an earlier stop. Norris then faced the task of holding off the world champion for the remainder of the race but did so with ease.
In fact, he was just under eight seconds clear of the Dutchman by the time he crossed the line on lap 57. He’s finally put a stop to record a run of 15 podiums without a win.
It was a popular milestone in the F1 paddock. Verstappen congratulated Norris in parc ferme, and Lewis Hamilton pulled alongside him on the cool-down lap to commend his efforts.
He becomes the first British driver to win a race since George Russell took victory at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. That ends the country’s longest drought since 2006.
Damon Hill salutes ‘top bloke’ Lando Norris after Miami Grand Prix win
Hill took to Instagram to pay tribute to Norris after a landmark moment in his career. He’s delighted for him as both a driver and an individual.
The 63-year-old is also pleased for a McLaren team that tasted the winners’ champagne for the first time since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo was the winner that day, leading home Norris.
“This one’s staying here,” Hill wrote. “Never in doubt. Lando is a class driver and top bloke. Many congratulations to the Norris’ and @mclaren.”
For reference, Hill took the first of his 22 Formula 1 wins at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 1993. That came in his just his second season in the sport, so he didn’t have to wait nearly as long as Norris.
What Lando Norris said to social media trolls after first victory
Before last weekend, many critics on social media would flood Norris’ Instagram comments with the ‘Lando No-wins’ nickname. The Englishman says that merely added to his motivation and is therefore thankful to his doubters.
But Norris will want to ensure that this victory is no flash in the pan. McLaren brought an ‘astonishing’ upgrade package to Miami, one that could allow them to compete with Red Bull on a more consistent basis.
And the 24-year-old knows there are aspects of his performance that he can still clean up. For instance, he admitted that he could have done a better job at the safety-car restart as he tried to keep Verstappen at bay.
It was a weekend where McLaren had shown huge potential without any memorable rewards before race day. Norris had set the fastest time in SQ2 on Friday afternoon, only to end up in ninth for the sprint after struggling to switch on his tyres in SQ3.
His race came to an end at the first corner on Saturday, albeit through no fault of his own, as he fell victim to a tangle involving Hamilton and the two Aston Martin drivers. But he showed formidable pace on Sunday before things fell his way and will feel a dose of luck is overdue.
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