- Norris won his first race of the season on Sunday in Miami
- Trump had earlier expressed his faith in McLaren winning the Miami Grand Prix
- Trump made a fleeting appearance in the McLaren garage
McLaren driver Lando Norris hopes Donald Trump will attend more F1 races after winning the Miami Grand Prix.
Norris won his first race of the season on Sunday in Miami, edging out the formidable Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
An untimely safety car ended Verstappen’s hopes of winning the Miami Grand Prix for the third time. Verstappen lost the lead to Norris and finished second in the race held in Florida.
Fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez finished fourth as Norris, Verstappen and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari battled it out.
Lando Norris Hopes Donald Trump Will Grace His Races
Speaking after his first podium finish, Norris said he is hopeful that Trump, a former US President will attend his subsequent races.
Trump had earlier expressed his faith in McLaren winning the Miami Grand Prix and Norris eventually won. He quickly said that his victory had everything to do with Trump’s faith in his capabilities.
McLaren driver Lando Norris with Donald Trump. Photo/Stern
“[Donald Trump] said he was my lucky charm because it’s my win. So I don’t know if he’s going to come to more races now,” he said in a post-race interview.
Is Donald Trump a Formula 1 Fan?
Judging by his presence in the Miami paddock just before race day indicates he is an F1 enthusiast. Trump was invited by a friend and contributor who owned a paddock club suite at the Miami International Autodrome.
A few hours before the race, Trump made a fleeting appearance in the McLaren garage. He engaged with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and CEO of McLaren Racing Zak Brown.
Trump was also positioned at the front of the grid for the playing of the national anthem. Following Trump’s visit to McLaren’s garage, the team issued a statement stating that it is apolitical.
“We recognize and respect the office of President of the United States so when the request was made to visit our garage on race day we accepted alongside the president of the FIA and the CEOs of Liberty Media and Formula 1.
“We were honoured that McLaren Racing was chosen as the representative of F1 which gave us the opportunity to showcase the world-class engineering that we bring to motorsport,” the statement reads according to Autoweek.
Never one to back down from a spotlight, Trump charmed the spectators saying that he felt honoured to see McLaren win the race in his backyard.
“It was a great honour to see my friends at McLaren win the big Miami Formula 1 race. It was the car I visited before the race, and endorsed—that’s what we need for our country—WINNING,” he posted on Truth Social platform.
How Did Lando Norris Win Miami Grand Prix?
After 110 race starts, the 24-year-old McLaren driver made his F1 career’s maiden Grand Prix win. It was hard for the crowd not to celebrate this big win at Miami International Autodrome.
McLaren driver Lando Norris celebrates his first podium win this season. Photo/Top Gear
Every driver experiences a really great moment when they win the first race, but Norris’ was especially remarkable because he had to wait a long time for it.
In the speech he gave following the race, Norris expressed gratitude to a few members of his family, and he explained why at a news conference that followed.
Besides Norris’ hope that Trump will attend more of his F1 races, he thanked his family for being supportive. He told Jenson Button in a presser after the race that his father Adam Norris, mother and grandmother are unconditionally supportive of his F1 career.
Norris’ parents held his hand into racing since he was a kid and have always been there for him as he advanced to F1. Adam is an English millionaire who invested heavily in his son’s future in racing and it has paid off well.
Norris also said that he promised his grandmother that he would win one of the upcoming races but never disclosed which one it would be.
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