Norris' Miami victory capped off F1's best week in recent memory
Norris' Miami victory capped off F1's best week in recent memory
Lando Norris claiming his first Grand Prix victory will be the story everyone remembers from Formula 1's third trip to Miami.
The Briton streaking clear of Max Verstappen was not how many expected Sunday's race to end - but few can complain about Norris taking a well-overdue maiden win, and many will hope it's the beginning of a competitive season ahead.
READ MORE: F1 2024 Miami Grand Prix results: Norris STUNS Verstappen for historic victory
McLaren, understandably, will celebrate their first top-step finish since 2021 until the Imola weekend begins.
Yet the sport as a whole should be cheering for the entire Miami race week, of which Norris breaking his duck was just the final piece of a puzzle that should have fans filled with hope for a competitive future.
READ MORE: Verstappen MISTAKE triggers Miami safety car drama
Red Bull's loss is F1's gain
Speculation over Adrian Newey's longevity at Red Bull Racing predicated any Miami hype as leaks from Milton Keynes filtered into the media.
Was it true? Is he retiring? Has Fred Vasseur created a Ferrari Dream Team?
We only know the answer to the first question today. Newey stepping away from Red Bull after nearly two decades is a landscape-altering move akin to Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes.
There are many possibilities for his future, with Aston Martin and Williams joining Ferrari as potential destinations.
Even if it's a move into retirement, Red Bull is a weaker outfit without his aerodynamic genius, and his decision will gravely hurt them, no matter how much they will publicly downplay his role.
That's a sizeable bonus for all other teams in an era where generating underfloor downforce is the prerequisite for competitive performance, something Red Bull has enjoyed since 2022, thanks to Newey's aerodynamic genius.
Even if they continue to have an advantage once he departs in 2025, it's the end of the domination levels that have caused Grands Prix to become a foregone conclusion in recent years.
READ MORE: FIA announce HEAVY fine for F1 star after 'extremely dangerous' move
When will Antonelli arrive in F1?
As the Newey exit announcement became official, another rumour rang through the paddock, and Williams was again in the thick of the discussions.
An FIA request to allow a super licence to the under-18 Andrea Kimi Antonelli suggested Joe Saward's post-China intel had some basis.
James Vowles, Williams' Team Principal, dampened any talk that Logan Sargeant would be out of the team in Imola, as initially suggested, but Antonelli is in his thoughts.
While other teams, including Mercedes, Antonelli's Junior Team backers, denied they asked the FIA to bend the rules, Williams had Vowles swerving the question in the press conference.
Whether you believe Antonelli is the second coming of Jesus, any mid-season driver swap is uncommon, and ones outside Red Bull's ecosystem are rare moments worthy of attention.
After seeing Oliver Bearman, Antonelli's F2 teammate, adapt so well to F1 machinery, the possibility of another young hopeful getting their chance to shine is an enticing prospect.
Should it pan out, it might be a harsh – perhaps premature – ending for Sargeant's F1 career, but there's no denying that it's always incredibly exciting to have new names racing at the top.
With Bearman and Antonelli's junior titles, either or both stepping up will see the grid continuing to strengthen and move away from weaker pay drivers, something fans have wanted for years.
READ MORE: Hamilton hit with SEVERE FIA penalty after clumsy Miami race
A magical Miami GP
All this off-track action continued 2024's being a season where announcements beat racing in for entertainment.
Having Newey and Sargeant's futures to discuss must've felt like gifts for all commentators, especially considering the last Miami GP was rather dull when it became clear Verstappen would fight through the pack with relative ease.
However, random trivia and commentary booth debates weren't necessary in either of Miami's races, as the 20 drivers put on a show that might even help on-site fans forget the eye-watering prices they paid to watch the race.
Another two-pronged Haas approach in Sprint brought the American team points after Kevin Magnussen's penalty-attracting driving kept wheel-to-wheel action going through nearly all 19 laps.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon's all-Alpine Lap 1 fight suggested that the Grand Prix would have more of the same battling, too, and indeed, it did.
Ferrari and McLaren kept pace with the Red Bulls while all remaining cars duked it out for whatever points they could in some top-tier elbows-out racing.
Having Norris lead the race after the Safety Car had almost everyone watching feel some hope that he could finally take a well-earned first victory, but also knowing Verstappen behind would most likely ease by within two laps of the restart.
But then he didn't. And Norris began extending his advantage. The impossible turned into reality. After two seasons of single-driver dominance, hopes of actual competition prevailed.
It's too soon to say whether this is the start of a revolution that sees multiple drivers and teams fighting for victory, but we can hope. And remember where hope got us on Sunday...
READ MORE: Ricciardo suffers MAJOR Miami setback amid F1 penalty woes
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Vettel set to make STUNNING return as Red Bull boss issues Perez replacement hint - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Verstappen launches fresh FIA attack in pay dispute row
- Yesterday 22:56
Red Bull DEADLINE update for driver confirmation revealed
- Yesterday 21:47
Vettel to make racing RETURN with Schumacher
- Yesterday 20:58
Hamilton TEAM ORDERS revealed after race wins claim
- Yesterday 19:56
Wolff in Hamilton DISPUTE over Mercedes concerns
- Yesterday 18:54
F1 Race Calendar 2024
-
GP USA
3 - 5 May
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
17 - 19 May
Max Verstappen
-
GP MONACO
24 - 26 May
Charles Leclerc
-
GP CANADA
7 - 9 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP SPAIN
21 - 23 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRIA
28 - 30 Jun
George Russell
-
GP GREAT BRITAIN
5 - 7 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP HUNGARY
19 - 21 Jul
Oscar Piastri
-
GP BELGIUM
26 - 28 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP NETHERLANDS
23 - 25 Aug
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
30 Aug - 1 Sep
Charles Leclerc
-
GP AZERBAIJAN
13 - 15 Sep
Oscar Piastri
-
GP SINGAPORE
20 - 22 Sep
Lando Norris
-
GP USA
18 - 20 Oct
Charles Leclerc
- GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct
- GP BRAZIL 1 - 3 Nov
- GP USA 22 - 24 Nov
- GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec
- GP ABU DHABI 6 - 8 Dec
Related news
F1 cooldown room: How it works and the most iconic moments
Power Rankings - Red Bull lose out to McLaren twice in disaster Baku weekend
F2/F3 Power Rankings - Hamilton's last-lap 2008 title outdone by F3 finale in Monza
Hamilton blueprint can pave way for Sainz SUPREMACY
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Franco Alejandro Colapinto
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Oliver Bearman
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- AWS Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860