Lando Norris left the Miami Grand Prix with mixed feelings but is encouraged to be back in the hunt for victories. After securing a win in Saturday’s sprint race, Norris appeared set to claim back-to-back wins on Sunday’s 57-lap street circuit around Hard Rock Stadium — the site of his first F1 victory in 2024.
However, championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes used superior pit-stop strategy to leapfrog Norris for the lead. Despite Norris’s strong pace, he had to settle for second place as Antonelli held on for the win.
The weekend marked a significant improvement for McLaren. Their recent upgrades clearly paid off, positioning the team back at the sharp end of the grid after a difficult start to the season. Norris currently sits fourth in the championship, 49 points behind Antonelli, with a mechanical issue at the Chinese Grand Prix having cost him crucial points.
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Having transformed sprint pole into a win and led much of the main race, Norris is pleased to be competing closely with Mercedes once again. Yet, he regrets the pit-stop strategy that ultimately cost McLaren the victory.
“I’m very happy to have been fighting for a win today,” Norris said. “From sprint pole to the sprint win, this weekend has shown a strong performance. The significant step forward we made shows the hard work has paid off immediately. But you always have to wonder if we maximized everything, and I’m unsure about that.
“We shouldn’t have let them undercut us. Even if he passed me eventually, we should have given ourselves a better chance — so there’s a bit of disappointment there.”
Looking ahead to the next race in Montreal in three weeks, Norris remains confident but realistic, aware that Mercedes will bring upgrades that could make the battle even tougher.
“I am confident about the future. We improved a lot this weekend, but this track suited us well,” he said. “We’re heading to a circuit where Mercedes has been dominant for the last five or six years. There’s no point in getting ahead of ourselves.”