Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes that after Lando Norris’ 2024 Miami Grand Prix win, fans of Formula 1 in the United States could flock to supporting the McLaren team.
Max Verstappen entered the 2024 F1 season after a hugely dominant 2023 campaign where he won 19 out of 22 races. The Red Bull team won all but one race that year, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz taking the top of the podium in Singapore. Verstappen’s form continued into the beginning of 2024 where he won four out of the first five races. But the Miami Grand Prix seemed to be a turning point as the Papaya team equipped Norris’ car with a transformative upgrade package.
While team-mate Oscar Piastri didn’t receive the full package until the following rounds, both drivers showed substantial performance with Norris taking his maiden win, suddenly drawing attention from not only the Milton Keynes outfit but from fans who wanted a rival to root for.
Steiner, now an ambassador of the Miami race, believes his win has resonated with the US market, not only for the history his team brings with it but also for the fact he ended his rival’s winning streak and gave fans an excellent season of entertaining races.
“I think McLaren, they’re backing quite a bit here in the States,” Steiner told CNN. “Lando broke the dominance call it like this last year at the Miami GP, and that opened up the championship.
“It is a very interesting brand, McLaren. So I think they will support him. But I think the main reason is because he won that race and ended the dominance of Max.”
Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates with his team on arrival in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
The race hinged on the deployment of a safety car, which Norris was able to leverage successfully with a well-timed pit stop, and after putting down a masterclass in the second half of the race, was able to lead Verstappen by 7.6 seconds over the chequered flag.
Drive to Survive’s Season 7 further amplified the rivalry between these two drivers, with Episode 2 exploring their friendship and the Miami race itself. As you’d expect, it wasn’t entirely non-fictional, with the Dutchman recently commenting on how the streaming service twisted the truth for that section.
“Apparently I was very upset after Miami,” he said during a Twitch livestream. “I literally had the best time ever Sunday night, so I don’t know what I was upset about.”
Despite the dramatisation, the episode did mark the turning point of the season.
McLaren, a favourite of many going into 2025, looks to continue its success after winning the 2024 constructors’ championship ahead of the regulation changes in 2026.
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