Lando Norris explains ‘terrible’ mistake he made before winning in Miami

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Lando Norris’ first race victory at the Miami Grand Prix was an important moment after he managed to finally break his record for most podiums without a win.

The McLaren driver had impressive pace throughout the weekend after the team delivered key upgrades to the MCL38, however much of it was shortlived during the Sprint race when Lando Norris only reached the first corner before retiring after a collision.

Things fared better for Norris in the Grand Prix when a mid-race Safety Car for a collision between Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen enabled him to pit and emerge ahead of Max Verstappen, who pitted during normal race conditions.

With Verstappen in second at the restart and Norris leading the way, the McLaren driver held on to take his first win in his sixth season after 110 attempts of trying in F1.

Norris discussed the victory when speaking on the High-Performance podcast and recalls the tense final few laps on his way to the chequered flag.

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Lando Norris recalls tense first victory at the Miami Grand Prix

During the final few laps of the race, Norris appeared calm and collected as he held off the challenge from Verstappen. But the circumstances were very different.

For the Dutchman, it was another win to add to his growing tally, while for Norris it was a chance to etch his name into the F1 history books. The weight of the moment started to play on his mind, with the Briton recalling a ‘terrible’ moment that almost cost him the win.

“I had a terrible restart into Turn 1 but managed to hold off Max and cruised away. I was thinking of everything. But the problem with driving and thinking; is that’s game over. As soon as your brain starts thinking ‘What happens if I do this?’ That’s not how I think or athletes at the top of their sport think,” said Norris.

“The more I think, the worse I do. You want to have a subconscious way of driving, you just know where to brake and drive without consciously having to think about it. As soon as I was consciously saying ‘Ok, I need to brake here’ that’s when you start to make little mistakes. At the same time, I was trying to enjoy the moment.”

Miami GP a key moment in Red Bull and McLaren battle

The win at Miami was not only an important moment for Norris, but it eventually set McLaren on course to overtake Red Bull in the development war.

In a rather timely race for Red Bull, it was also the weekend that legendary designer Adrian Newey announced he would be leaving the team after 18 years of designing their championship contenders.

It is now expected that Newey will join Aston Martin following months of discussions with billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll, who eventually offered him a lucrative contract worth millions.

One of the main weaknesses of the RB20 was exposed during the race, notably when Verstappen complained about the driveability of his car several laps into the race while leading.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

This has turned out to become a characteristic of their car in recent races, with team advisor Helmut Marko admitting they may struggle to find a ‘big solution’ to their problems at the next race in Zandvoort.

Red Bull is now having to retrace its steps in an attempt to recapture its success in the final 10 races of the season, as their position in the Constructors’ Championship is under serious threat from McLaren.