F1 News: McLaren feature could leave rivals worried insists former star

Lando Norris winst the F1 Grand Prix of Miami — Photo: © IMAGO

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New exposed McLaren feature could leave rivals worried insists former F1 star

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GPFans Staff

Friday 10 May 2024 16:58

Former F1 driver and analyst Jolyon Palmer hopes that McLaren will continue to battle Red Bull for top spot after their Miami victory.

Lando Norris scored the team's first victory since 2021 at the Miami Grand Prix, in a race won on merit with genuine pace.

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Oscar Piastri also showed excellent speed in the opening stint, keeping leader Max Verstappen in his sights before an incident with Carlos Sainz relegated him from the points.

The next step for McLaren is to show those performance levels on a regular basis and provide a serious threat to Red Bull's power which has dominated F1 since the beginning of 2022.

Oscar Piastri showed strong pace early on in Miami

Lando Norris beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen for his maiden win

Palmer hopes for more 'all-out battles'

Whilst McLaren achieved a stunning win in Miami, they will be looking to use it as a platform for further success, with their upgrade features on display over the weekend giving them an unexpected boost.

Writing in his formula1.com column, Palmer said: “McLaren think this is just the start and Miami wasn’t expected to be their strongest weekend, which is encouraging for them in the coming races.

“This was a weekend where Red Bull didn’t hook things up either though.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull 'will bounce back stronger'

"Max wasn’t ever too comfortable in Miami, even if he was still cleaning up P1 spots throughout the Sprint weekend, it was never in his usual emphatic style and that’s what left him open to losing the race.

“Whilst McLaren will hope to progress at the next race in Imola, Red Bull will bounce back stronger as well and hopefully we will see some more all-out battles for victory.”

Red Bull McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri Jolyon Palmer