Track Torque: Different winner as Norris lands Miami title
It was refreshing to see a new winner.
At last, someone has beaten Max Verstappen fair and square in a Grand Prix race this season.
That honour went to Lando Norris, who drove a fantastic race on the eastern seaboard of the USA to beat Verstappen somewhat comprehensively and win the Miami GP.
He raced past the checkered flag seven and a half seconds before the world champion got there.
It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person, and everybody was overjoyed with the result especially, of course, the McLaren Mercedes team.
Norris’s teammate in the other McLaren, Oscar Piastri, should also have done well if it hadn’t been for a coming together with Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
The Ferraris were also quick on the day, with Charles LeClerc in third and Sainz fifth in the red and blue cars this time round.
They were split by Sergio Perez in fourth place.
I think that this result will have a very positive effect on Formula One racing as it will give perspective to how close the racing actually is and the fact that Verstappen, as good as he is, is not invincible.
Therefore, there should be a lifting of spirits among the other drivers, which should bring back motivation for the greater good of the entire field.
After the top five came a hard-charging Lewis Hamilton, less than a second behind Carlos Sainz, so the first six were very close indeed.
In seventh position was Yuki Tsunoda in his RB Honda. George Russell in his Mercedes was eighth, Fernando Alonso in his Aston Martin ninth and Esteban Ocon 10th in his Alpine Renault.
These four following cars were also covered by a mere 14 seconds. The racing had, in fact, been very close all the way down the field.
After leaving America, the racing circus will next appear in Imola in a fortnight’s time, where there will be a big commemoration of Ayrton Senna’s death 30 years ago.
Drivers:
1 Max Verstappen 136
2 Sergio Perez 103
3 Charles Leclerc 98
4 Lando Norris 83
5 Carlos Sainz 83
6 Oscar Piastri 41
7 George Russell 37
8 Fernando Alonso 33
9 Lewis Hamilton 27
10 Yuki Tsunoda 14
Teams:
1 Red Bull 239
2 Ferrari 187
3 McLaren 124
4 Mercedes 64
5 Aston Martin 42
6 RB 19
7 Haas 7
8 Alpine 1
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