Miami GP: McLaren's Norris holds off Red Bull's Verstappen for maiden Formula 1 victory
Lando Norris of McLaren took advantage of good fortune to win the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, defeating Red Bull's triple world champion Max Verstappen for his first Formula One win.
It was a long-awaited victory for the Briton, who previously held the record for the most podiums without a win (15), finishing second an agonising eight times in 110 grand prix.
Verstappen appeared to be on course for his fifth win in six races until a midway crash allowed McLaren to take advantage of a safety car period, with Norris pitting and taking the lead.
Seeking a Miami hat-trick, the Dutchman filled Norris' mirrors on the restart, but his Red Bull was unable to challenge the McLaren, which pulled away.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished third, ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz, who was later penalised five seconds for colliding with McLaren's Oscar Piastri, dropping the Spaniard to fifth place.
The penalty moved Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez up one spot to fourth.
"About time! What a race. It's been a long time coming. Finally I've managed to do it," Norris told Sky Sports. "I'm so happy for my whole team. I finally delivered for them."
"Long day, tough race. Finally on top, so I'm over the moon. I'm just proud. A lot of people doubted me along the way."
"I've made a lot of mistakes over my last five years in my short career but today we put it all together."
In a season dominated by Red Bull, the 24-year-old Briton's victory was widely celebrated.
Pulling into the pit lane, Norris was mobbed by his team, congratulated by the other drivers, and cheered by a massive crowd at the Miami International Autodrome, which included former US President Donald Trump, who had visited the McLaren garage prior to the race.
Until Sunday, Red Bull had had another dominant weekend, with Verstappen topping the timesheets in the only practice session and sprint qualifying on Friday, before winning the sprint race and taking pole on Saturday.
His second place in the Grand Prix had little impact on the drivers' standings, as he maintains a commanding 35-point lead over Perez.
Mercedes' seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, followed by RB's Yuki Tsunoda in seventh and George Russell in the other Mercedes.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin's double world champion, finished ninth, while Esteban Ocon scored Alpine's first point of the season by finishing tenth.
Verstappen led the first 20 laps after starting on pole, but he was unable to extend his lead over Piastri beyond three seconds.
Verstappen made a rare unpressured mistake near the halfway point of the race, going wide and colliding with a bollard that broke and was left on the track, triggering the virtual safety car.
Verstappen then rushed into the pits with Piastri, who had already pitted, taking the lead.
With the first round of pit stops coming to an end and Verstappen about to retake the lead, McLaren got a lucky break.
Williams' Logan Sargeant spun into the wall, bringing out the safety car and allowing Norris to pit and emerge with the lead, which he never relinquished.
"You win, you lose," said Verstappen. "I think we’re all used to that in racing, right?"
"Today was just a bit tricky. If a bad day is P2, I take it."
"I’m very happy for Lando. It’s been a long time coming and it’s not going to be his last one, so he definitely deserves it today."
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