Norris’ big day, Magnussen’s penalties… The hits and the flops

Lando Norris’s first victory in F1 but also the great races of Yuki Tsunoda and Lewis Hamilton or the penalties of Kevin Magnussen and the safety car hiccup, find the tops and flops of the Miami GP.

TOPS

Norris’s premiere

He will have waited 110 races before winning his Holy Grail. Lando Norris won the Miami GP, his first race in Formula 1 for the man who already had 15 podiums on the clock. Here he is now in another category after a perfect race. Starting 5th, he was held back by Sergio Perez for a long time but once the Mexican was in the pits, the Briton then literally flew around the track, taking advantage of the competitors’ stops to take the lead halfway through the race. A stroke of luck then propelled him to victory. The safety car, and his error (see below), on lap 29 allowed him to make a less costly stop than his competitors and the restart was perfectly managed in front of Max Verstappen who quickly admitted defeat in the face of the pace of Norris.

Tsunoda, un week-end solide

Very nice stay in Florida for the Japanese. Eighth in the sprint, tenth in qualifying and seventh in the race, Yuki Tsunoda did a lot of work. He also responded to his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, fourth in the sprint, by bringing seven points to his team this weekend. A job well done.

Hamilton had pace

Good race from the seven-time world champion. Lewis Hamilton was eighth on the starting grid and opted for hard tires at the start. A risky bet since he was blocked for a long time by Hulkenberg’s Haas before finding the fault. His stint in mediums was then very solid to take a good sixth place. Mercedes cannot do better at the moment.

FLOPS

Magnussen, the penalty king

He had already received a 35-second penalty during the sprint for extreme defenses and a little too much off-piste. However, the Dane was not calmed down on Sunday. Kevin Magnussen collided with Logan Sargeant, causing the safety car on lap 29. He was penalized ten seconds but he carried out his penalty incorrectly… the race direction then took further action.

The safety car hiccups

On lap 29, following the collision between Magnussen and Sargeant, the safety car was deployed but it was in the wrong…leader. Used to positioning herself in front of Verstappen, she did so again but the Dutchman was second and was slowed considerably while leader Lando Norris was not. This may or may not have changed the race but there is no doubt that the error should not have existed.