MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – McLaren’s Lando Norris took his first Formula One victory in a thrilling Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, defeating Max Verstappen and interrupting a perfect weekend for Verstappen that included a sprint race victory and pole position.
An elated Norris celebrated the victory after more than 100 races and several near collisions as the crowd erupted in applause. Before Miami, Norris held the unwanted record for most F1 podiums without winning a race, at 15.
“Wow!” he shouted over the team radio after taking the checkered flag. “I love you all. … We did it!”
After the race, Norris, who started fifth, jumped into the arms of his crew and was hoisted up. He was greeted with rapturous cries of “Lando! Lando!” as he carried the winner’s trophy to the podium.
Verstappen started first and maintained the lead, but a mid-race safety car put Norris ahead of the pack. When the race resumed, Verstappen had no answer for Norris, who sprinted away. Verstappen has dominated F1 over the past two seasons despite the internal drama and turmoil his team has faced in recent months. He finished second on Sunday, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third.
It was a poignant weekend for Williams’ American Logan Sargeant, who was born just a short drive away in Fort Lauderdale. He retired from the race after a crash that officials blamed on Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. Sargeant, now in his second year, is under pressure to perform better if he wants a contract extension.
Tickets sold out with about 275,000 people attending the race weekend, according to an organizer. They included a cast full of celebrities and athletes, including Ed Sheeran, who performed at the venue, and Brad Pitt, who is making a Formula 1 film, as well as Kendall Jenner, Tom Brady and Camila Cabello.
French football star Zinedine Zidane attended to support French F1 team Alpine. Asked which of the team’s two French drivers he prefers, Zidane smiled and said: “Both.”
Former President Donald Trump attended the race on Sunday, taking a tour of the McLaren garage with the team’s American CEO, Zak Brown.
“It’s his first Formula 1 race,” Brown told NBC News when asked what Trump told him. Trump did not discuss his favorite driver or team, Brown added. “I didn’t ask,” he said. “The organizers asked me to show him around, so that’s what I would do for any former president or sitting president.”
Trump entered the starting grid shortly before the race began and waved to the Miami crowd.
After the race, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt gave credit to the former president. “The car endorsed by Trump won the race. All we do is win! she said in a text message.
While the biggest story in F1 ahead of the race was the unexpected announcement from revered Red Bull car designer Adrian Newey that he will leave the team at the start of next year, there were also plenty of rumors about the future of the Miami Grand Prix. .
The event hosts one of three races in the US, with Austin, Texas in October and Las Vegas in November. Drivers and team bosses rejected suggestions that the addition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year diminished the appeal of the Miami race.
“Did it decrease? No, I think the sport has gotten bigger here,” said Lewis Hamilton, seven-time F1 champion. “There is much more awareness. In every city I go to, people are excited. Now it’s a sport here in the states. Before, it was just an event that happened once a year. Now, we’re part of the culture here, which is really, really cool.”
“It’s been amazing and I think we’re all very grateful for the USA to finally embrace this sport and have the love and passion for it that we all grew up with,” he said.
Brown said the Miami race is going “more and more.”
“I think between [Austin]Miami, Vegas, Netflix [the series ‘Drive to Survive’], the upcoming Brad Pitt movie, which will obviously be global, I think all of those elements are helping to build our sport very quickly in North America,” Brown told reporters. “I think Miami is an amazing market that people enjoy traveling to. That’s why I think each of these Grands Prix has its own personality.”
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly said before the race that there was greater motivation for the team to perform well given the presence of its new American investors, including Patrick Mahomes, during the race weekend.
“For us, Miami is a big weekend for the team,” Gasly told reporters on Saturday. “Many of our owners and ambassadors are close by.”
Tyler Epp, president of the Miami Grand Prix, said the event is “uniquely Miami” and that it “represents the food, culture, entertainment and diversity that our community has to offer.”
“For us, all boats rise with a rising tide. And we are proud of the three races in America. We discovered that we are different, unique,” he said, adding: “We like to be the first!”
Epp said a month ago he was “concerned” about slow ticket sales, but his team changed that down the stretch. he said the day before the event that they had sold out all the grandstand and deluxe tickets, while holding back some general admission tickets for late arrivals.
The Miami race has seven years left on its 10-year Formula 1 contract “and the opportunity for more,” Epp said.
The Las Vegas race, which debuted last year, has eight years left after this year’s race. The Austin race has been a mainstay since 2012. Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm said the race is making changes this year, specifically eliminating some “high-end hospitality suites” and replacing them with more general admission and bleacher seating to attract a wide range of fans.
A key bragging point about F1 events is the boost to local economies. A recent report from Clark County, Nevada, estimated that last year’s first Grand Prix generated nearly $1.5 billion in economic impact. It also helped service sector workers get a better union contract.
“We have created countless economic opportunities throughout the valley,” Wilm said. “When you consider the tips that were being given by our very excited fans to be at the venues, restaurants, retailers, waiters, waitresses – we created a ton of economic stimulus within the valley, from top to bottom, and we couldn’t be happier to come back this year.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
