Credits: IMAGO / Action Plus
Lando Norris’ victory over Max Verstappen in Miami was aided by a strategic masterclass put forward by McLaren. Verstappen was unfortunate with the timing of the safety car and the damage to his car, but the pit stop that he went ahead with, was not in the plans.
The entirety of McLaren’s workforce is basking in glory. Celebrations are in full swing in Woking, and taking digs at Red Bull is an opportunity the team members don’t want to pass out on.
During a celebratory speech, one of McLaren’s team members said,
“We’ve got Red Bull to pit but they shouldn’t have done which is good”
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These comments suggest that the strategists of the British outfit baited Red Bull and Verstappen into pitting early. Momentarily, it put Norris at a disadvantage, but when the Safety car came out later, Norris got a free stop.
The McLaren driver put on the hard compound tires and managed to be consistently faster than Verstappen. Towards the end, the 24-year-old’s win did not look to be under any threat whatsoever.
Norris coasted home to take the chequered flag in P1, finishing over seven seconds ahead of Verstappen.
The digs McLaren is taking at Red Bull are fine for team morale, as the squad looks to make winning a more regular habit. However, it could end up biting them back with Red Bull set to bring upgrades to the very next race in Imola.
Red Bull has answers to McLaren’s glory
McLaren triumphed in Miami, and it brought Lando Norris’ five-year wait for a race win to an end. The team brought upgrades to Miami which worked wonders, helping the Bristol-born driver achieve this feat but in the very next race, Red Bull will do the same.
Helmut Marko acknowledged that Norris is a threat for the future. However, come the end of the campaign, he expects Verstappen to remain World Champion. In a conversation with OE24, he revealed that his team will bring an upgrade to Imola for the Emilia-Romagna GP.
These upgrades will bolster Verstappen’s performance and the 26-year-0ld remains the favorite to resume his winning run next weekend. Additionally, McLaren will also be wary of Ferrari, who look to impress their home crowd as they too, will bring in upgrades.
