Miami, FL
‘He deserves it’: Lando Norris pips Verstappen in career’s first F1 win
McLaren’s Lando Norris has won the first Formula One race of his career with a shock victory over world champion Max Verstappen in the Miami Grand Prix.
Breathing life into an F1 season that risked becoming a one-man story again, Norris, in his 110th race for McLaren, beat Verstappen by more than seven seconds, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finishing third.
Verstappen, who began on pole, had won four of the opening five races of the season and leads the world championship standings.
It looked like business as usual with the Dutchman, who had won the previous two Miami races, leading until lap 24 when he pitted and Norris’s McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri took the lead.
Australian Piastri himself went into the pits four laps later, allowing Norris to grab the lead and the British driver never looked back.
Crucially, Norris was able to pit during a safety car on lap 30, earning him a valuable time advantage which he never relinquished.
The safety car came after Kevin Magnussen clipped Logan Sargeant, sending the American Williams driver into the wall and bringing a yellow flag.
Norris, who had 15 podiums before his first win, took full advantage of the safety car and with Verstappen struggling to catch up, he secured his maiden victory.
It was the first time Verstappen had been beaten on track when he finished the race since Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz won in Singapore in September last year.
Your top ten in the 2024 Miami Grand Prix! 🌴#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/a9zXrQI3t9
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024
Norris was hoisted in the air by the McLaren mechanics as his long wait for a victory in the sport came to an end.
“About time huh?” said Norris, “I knew on Friday that we had the pace … today we managed to put it together. We had the perfect strategy. It all paid off,” he added.
“I guess a lot of people doubted me along the way. I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the last five years, my short career, but today we pulled it all together, so this is all for the team.
“I stuck with McLaren because I could believe in them and I did believe in them and today proved exactly that,” he added.
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.
LANDO NORRIS IS A FORMULA 1 RACE WINNER!
LANDO WINS THE #MIAMIGP!!! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/1wOzrE5vdf
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 5, 2024
‘He deserves it’
The nearest Norris had come previously to winning a Grand Prix was in Sochi, Russia in 2021 when he led in the latter stages before failing to make a tyre change early in the rain, costing him dearly.
Verstappen, who had complained about lack of grip in qualification and during Sunday’s race, said his Red Bull had been unable to keep up with Norris once the McLaren driver switched to hard tyres.
“They just had more pace, Lando was flying. It was incredibly difficult for us, but on the bad days P2, I’ll take it right?
“I’m very happy for Lando, it’s been a long time coming and it’s not going to be his last one. He definitely deserves it,” said the Dutchman.
Very happy for @LandoNorris, congrats mate! 👏 For us it was not our strongest race, but I’ll take P2 today. #KeepPushing pic.twitter.com/mf9Sp0Mlwt
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 6, 2024
Leclerc echoed those sentiments.
“Very often he ran very close to it, but for one reason or another, he didn’t make it. But today he did an incredible job, and the whole weekend he has been on it,” said the Ferrari driver.
As in the first two years of the Miami Grand Prix, held around Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, the race attracted plenty of celebrities.
Former France international footballer and coach Zinedine Zidane, singer Ed Sheeran, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes and former US President Donald Trump were among those spotted at the race. Trump visited the McLaren garage before the race.
Trump, who visited the McLaren garage prior to the race, was delighted to back a winner, telling Norris later he was his lucky charm.
“He saw me after and he came to congratulate me,” said Norris, who had told his grandmother before coming to Miami that he was going to win a race.
Norris’s parents were ecstatic, though they weren’t in Miami to witness the moment.
“The cider’s flowing in Somerset! A big celebration,” Adam Norris told Sky Sports. “I was working out it’s probably about 900 races I’ve been to over the last 16 years.
“It’s brilliant. So happy for him.”
Anthony Hamilton, another father instrumental in the success of his son – seven times world champion Lewis – also texted Norris congratulations.
Norris was still finalising plans on how he was going to celebrate his maiden victory, but he was already thinking about a second win.
“This only happens once when you take your first win. Tonight is going to be a good night,” said Norris, confirming team boss Zak Brown had delayed the flight home until Monday so there would be a proper celebration.
You never forget your first!
Congratulations @LandoNorris for your first @F1 career win! 🤩#MiamiGP 🇺🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/DOJbihXRO0
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 5, 2024
A group of Miami residents has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and the state of Florida over a land giveaway for his proposed presidential library.
Almost three acres of prime waterfront land that once belonged to Miami Dade College (MDC) was illegally gifted to the US president by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, the lawsuit states.
It cites the domestic emoluments clause of the US constitution that prohibits a sitting president from receiving any personal gain, profit or advantage from their position.
The action was brought in US district court for the southern district of Florida by the Washington DC-based Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC) on behalf of plaintiffs including an MDC student, a Miami non-profit, and residents, who state the land “is no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and downtown Miami”.
Instead, the filing states, “the land will house a Trump hotel that brings riches to the President”.
Plans for the “gaudy” project were unveiled in March, to be built next to Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, the historical landmark and community art museum. A giant golden statue of the president will stand before a 50-story tower block that will feature the controversial $400m Boeing “flying palace” jumbo jet gifted to him by Qatar, but not yet in service, in its cavernous lobby.
At the time, Trump said the building was “most likely going to be a hotel”.
The land on which it will sit, the lawsuit said, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Rather than prevent President Trump from using the gifted land for personal gain, Florida … required that the conveyed land include only ‘components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center’, leaving the door open for the President to develop the property in any way he sees fit,” the CAC said in a statement.
The library has already been the subject of one lawsuit that claimed MDC trustees, most of them handpicked by DeSantis, erred by originally handing the land to the state in September during an unadvertised meeting with no public discussion.
The board held a do-over in December, and voted unanimously to proceed with the transfer.
The Guardian has contacted the Trump Presidential Library Foundation and DeSantis’s office for comment.
To no one’s surprise, FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF engaged in a scorefest May 13 at TQL Stadium.
A hat trick by one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game, Lionel Messi, sparked Miami to a 5-3 win. Miami scored three times from the 79th minute on to come from behind.
A sellout crowd of 25,513 witnessed the showdown, the club’s sixth home sellout of the season.
FC Cincinnati falls to 4-5-4, staying at 16 points, taking its first loss since April 4 at Red Bull New York. Miami improves to 7-2-4 for 25 points, improving to 7-1-1 on the road this season. Miami moved into second place in the Eastern Conference behind Nashville. Cincinnati started the night tied for fifth but could drop depending on games later on.
Second half highlights as FC Cincinnati squandered a late lead
Cincinnati took a 3-2 lead in the 64th minute.
Evander fired a rocket from the top of the 18 into the top left corner. Deneky passed ahead to him, then he maneuvered around two defenders, and no one stepped up to him. It is Evander’s seventh goal of the season.
Miami tied it in the 80th minute, 3-3.
After a Cincy turnover, Rodrigo De Paul quickly found Messi in transition, who delivered to Mateo Silvetti. Silvetti, playing his first game in a month, maneuvered in space and scored from the top of the box for his fourth of the season.
Miami took a 4-3 lead in the 83rd. A Messi free kick from 35 yds was saved by Cincy keeper Roman Celentano. He collided with Andrei Chirila, which knocked the ball out of his hands. Miami’s German Berterame pounced on the rebound to give Miami the lead, his fourth goal of the season.
Chirila landed hard after the collision and was taken out of the game.
Miami took a 5-3 lead when Messi made a sliding shot after a cross from Silvetti. The ball went off the post, then off Roman Celentano, who was on his stomach trying to get the ball, then in. Messi was credited with the goal and a hat trick.
FC Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.
Pavel Bucha scored from close range. He took a crossing pass from Bryan Ramirez after Denkey found him on the left side in transition.
It was Bucha’s second goal of the MLS season and the second assist for Ramirez. Bucha was hit in the head late in the first half and examined by trainers, but stayed in the game.
Moments later, Messi had a free kick from 30 yards saved by Celentano.
Messi scored again in the 56th minute to tie it, 2-2. He had a nice give-and-go with Rodrigo De Paul, who dribbled near the end line and crossed to him from the right side. Messi was unmarked and scored easily from near the penalty spot.
In the 62nd minute, Luis Suarez missed an open shot that Celentano saved, set up by a quick transition by Miami.
Miami ended with 17 shots to 10 for Cincinnati, six on target. After an even first half, Miami controlled the expected-goals mark, with 4 to 1.6 for the home team.
First half highlights
Messi scored from close range in the 24th off a turnover by Matt Miazga. Miazga tried to pass to a teammate on the side but the pass went straight to Messi.
He had a goal in the fifth minute waved off by offsides.
In the 32nd minute, Cincinnati won a corner kick, which Evander placed right in front of the goal line but the ball was cleared away.
In the 42nd minute, a Kevin Denkey penalty kick tied it up. Denkey drew the PK after collecting a good pass into the box by Pavel Bucha and being grabbed by Gonzalo Lujan. Denkey converted for his team-high eighth goal of the season.
The first half was tied 1-1 and virtually even on statistics. Both sides had seven shots, one on goal, and 1.1 expected goals. Neither keeper made a save.
What’s next for FC Cincinnati?
Cincinnati heads to the West Coast to play San Diego FC 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16. It is the first meeting between the teams. San Diego, 3-5-4 for 13 points, was set to play Austin later May 13. Cincinnati will leave for California on May 14.
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