Deep down I knew that we had our time coming
After six seasons and fifteen podium finishes that never reached the summit, Lando Norris finally claimed his first Formula 1 victory at the Miami Grand Prix in May 2024, crossing the line more than seven seconds ahead of four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen. The win was not merely a result but a resolution — of doubt, of narrative, of a question that had followed the young British driver since a rain-soaked afternoon in Russia three years prior. For McLaren, too, it marked an emergence from a difficult chapter, the fruit of quiet, cumulative work. Some victories settle a score with the past; this one seemed to open a door toward the future.
- Fifteen podiums without a win had turned Norris's near-misses into a story about his limits — a narrative he was desperate to rewrite.
- The ghost of the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, where a hesitation in the rain cost him a likely victory, had become the defining doubt cast over his career.
- McLaren arrived in Miami with a freshly upgraded car and a driver who had quietly rewired his mental approach, choosing focus over fear when the safety car created his moment.
- Norris crossed the line 7.5 seconds clear of Verstappen, becoming the 114th driver in F1 history to win a Grand Prix and ending McLaren's three-year wait for a race victory.
- Rather than exhaling, Norris immediately turned his eyes to Imola — the hunger, he made clear, had only just been sharpened.
Lando Norris crossed the finish line at Miami International Autodrome with more than seven seconds between him and the car behind — a gap that felt like vindication. Max Verstappen, who had won four of the season's first five races, could only watch as the 24-year-old British driver claimed the first Grand Prix victory of his career after six long seasons in Formula 1.
Fifteen podiums, eight second-place finishes, and one race in particular — the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, where Norris led before hesitating on a tire call in the rain and finished seventh — had become the shorthand for doubt about whether he had the nerve to win when it mattered. But heading into 2024, something had shifted. He had said plainly that he and McLaren could win races. The skeptics were unconvinced. He was not.
What changed, Norris explained, was as much internal as mechanical. He had worked on keeping his mind anchored to the task rather than haunted by past failures. When the safety car emerged in Miami, he felt the moment and seized it — not thinking about what could go wrong, but already imagining the celebration. McLaren's upgraded car, the product of months of incremental work, gave him the platform. He gave it the result.
"I wasn't worried," he said afterward. "I've been more confident than ever this year that I've got what it takes." The paddock, it seemed, was genuinely glad for him — a reflection of the goodwill accumulated through years of close calls. With Imola already on the horizon and the same upgrade package in tow, Norris made his intentions clear: Miami was not a destination. It was a beginning.
Lando Norris crossed the finish line at Miami International Autodrome in early May with a margin of more than seven seconds between him and the car behind—a gap that felt like vindication. The reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, who had won four of the season's first five races, could only watch as the 24-year-old British driver claimed the first Grand Prix victory of his career. It was a moment that had been a long time coming.
Norris had spent six seasons in Formula 1 accumulating podium finishes—fifteen of them—without ever reaching the top step. Eight times he had finished second. The near-misses had become a narrative about him, a question mark that critics wielded with ease. The 2021 Russian Grand Prix became shorthand for doubt: he had led for most of that race before hesitating on a tire strategy call as rain fell, ultimately finishing seventh. It was the kind of moment that gets replayed, that gets used to suggest a driver lacks the nerve or the judgment to win when it matters.
But something shifted in Norris heading into 2024. At the start of the season, he had said plainly that he and McLaren could win races. The statement drew skepticism. People questioned whether McLaren had the machinery, whether Norris had the mettle. He was confident anyway. "Deep down I knew that we had our time coming," he said after Miami. The team had brought upgrades to the car—small improvements that accumulated into something larger. McLaren itself had not won a full Grand Prix since Daniel Ricciardo in 2021. The organization had been climbing out of a difficult stretch, and the work of the last couple of months had begun to show.
What Norris described as his own evolution was equally important. He spoke about a change in his mental approach, a way of staying focused on the task rather than being haunted by past failures or the pressure of the moment. "Probably last year I would have thought of it," he said, referring to the ghosts of races like Sochi. "But this year I've been much better with just kind of keeping my mind focused." When the safety car came out during the Miami race, he felt the opportunity was there. He was fast. He was executing. He was not thinking about what could go wrong; he was thinking about how he would celebrate.
The victory made Norris the 114th driver in Formula 1 history to win a Grand Prix. It was a weight off his mind, he admitted, though he had never truly doubted it would happen. "I wasn't worried," he said. "I've kind of been more confident than ever this year that I've got what it takes." The drivers around the paddock seemed genuinely happy for him—a measure of how long the wait had felt, how much goodwill he had accumulated through those years of near-misses.
With barely time to savor the win, Norris and McLaren turned their attention to Imola for the following weekend. The upgrade package that had worked in Miami would travel with them. Norris was already hungry for more. "I would like to say it's the start," he said, "and now I'm already hungry for more." The question was no longer whether he could win. It was how many times he and his team could do it again.
Notable Quotes
A lot of people doubted that McLaren could win races, they doubted that I could win races, but I was confident.— Lando Norris
This year I've been much better with just keeping my mind focused and focusing on my job. I'm doing a good job. I'm fast and I'm executing things exactly how I want to do.— Lando Norris
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What changed between last year and this year? You had the same driver, mostly the same team.
The car got better—genuinely better. But I think Lando also got better at managing the weight of expectation. He stopped thinking about Sochi, stopped replaying the moments he didn't convert.
So it's mental, not mechanical?
It's both. The car had to be competitive. But once it was, he had to believe he could use it. Last year he might have second-guessed himself in a moment like Miami. This year he just drove.
Seven and a half seconds ahead of Verstappen is a big margin. Does that suggest McLaren has genuinely closed the gap?
It suggests they're competitive now, yes. But one race doesn't rewrite the season. Verstappen had dominated before this. What it does show is that McLaren's upgrades are working and Norris isn't leaving anything on the table anymore.
He kept saying he wasn't worried. Do you believe that?
I think he means it. There's a difference between not being worried and not caring. He cared deeply. But he'd made peace with the waiting. He knew it would come.