Untelevised Max Verstappen footage emerges after defeat to Lando Norris
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Max Verstappen showed real class in the immediate aftermath of his Miami Grand Prix defeat to Lando Norris, wasting no time in congratulating his friend/rival.
Verstappen looked like he was on his way to a fifth victory of the season as while his Miami Grand Prix had not been smooth sailing – including an error at the Turn 14/15 chicane which saw him eliminate the bollard – he appeared to have just enough pace available to hold off Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and the chasing pack.
Thumbs up and applause from Max Verstappen to Lando Norris
The situation took a turn for the worse for Verstappen though when the Safety Car was deployed following a collision between Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant, which allowed Norris – who was yet to pit and in the lead – to take advantage with a cheap pit stop and come out still in the lead.
He pulled away from Verstappen upon the race restart and drove to his first Formula 1 victory in style.
There was certainly no sign of sour grapes from Verstappen though, quite the opposite, as onboard footage not picked up by the TV world feed showed him giving Norris the thumbs up and applauding the Brit as he drove past after the chequered flag was waved.
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The acts of respect for Norris continued after the race as he and Verstappen headed for press conference duties, where Verstappen said he was “happy to be beaten” by Norris on this day, as he offered insight into the emotions that come with winning a Grand Prix for the first time.
“I think it was a long time coming and I’m very happy to be beaten by Lando today,” said Verstappen.
“He definitely deserved it, he was just miles faster at the end there.
“Winning your first race is always I think quite emotional and yeah, it brings you back to the days that you work towards Formula 1 and then you dream of course of being on the podium, but then, being on the top step.
“So yeah, of course naturally I’m not very happy with my day, but you can appreciate and respect what Lando has done today and I’m very happy for him.”
Despite that slight setback, Verstappen remains in a very healthy position in his pursuit of a fourth successive World Championship, his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship coming in at 33 points over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.