“We’re Just Getting Started”: Lando Norris Warns Rivals About McLaren’s Inexorable Rise After Feeling Grateful Over His Maiden Win

Lando Norris’ victory at the 2024 Miami GP helped him add his name to the elite list of 114 F1 Grand Prix winners. After the race, the Briton took to Instagram and issued a warning to his rivals about McLaren’s rise. He wrote,

“Genuinely had the most insane couple days of my life. Still don’t know what to say but this was a dream since I was a kid. Literally haven’t stopped smiling since lap 33. So much hard work to achieve this and it all finally paid off. The support from all my team, the McLaren Papaya fans, other drivers and so so many more, I’ve appreciated every single little bit of it. Love you all. And after all of this, we’re just getting started.”

There seems to be a good reason why Norris is optimistic about McLaren’s chances moving forward, considering the way his side have improved since the start of last season. Following the upgrades they brought in midseason last year, the Woking-based outfit suddenly began regularly competing from the podiums despite having a torrid start to the campaign.

With the McLaren engineers having been working tirelessly back at the factory ever since, they finally reaped their rewards at the Miami GP. While Norris and McLaren are undoubtedly excited about their campaign ahead, the Briton’s win was not entirely on merit. However, amid such discussions, it was Max Verstappen who interestingly defended his friend’s maiden victory.

Max Verstappen defends Lando Norris

Many perhaps tried to take the shine away from Lando Norris’ Miami GP win by suggesting that had it not been for the safety car intervention that essentially allowed him to have a free pit stop, the 24-year-old would not have won the race. Another reason some pointed out was Max Verstappen’s mistake when he hit a cone and damaged the floor of his car.

When asked if such moments prevented him from winning, Verstappen gave a brilliant reply to ensure that he did not take the limelight away from Norris. “I mean, it’s always if, if, if, right? If my mum had ba***, she would be my dad. So, yeah. I mean, it’s how it goes in racing. Sometimes it works out for you, sometimes it doesn’t,” he explained.

Verstappen then added that even if the safety car had not intervened, he believes Norris had the pace to beat him. With the Dutchman himself hailing McLaren’s improvement in pace, it just suggests that the Red Bull driver may not have it entirely his way for the rest of this season.