Norris beat Verstappen by 7 seconds after benefiting from making his single pitstop under a safety car – unlike his rivals – for a clash between Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargent.
Verstappen had won the previous two Miami GPs but had already made his pitstop when the safety car was needed. He had earlier set up a virtual safety car of his own by pouncing on Pollard at Turn 15 and admitted he struggled to turn his car around.
It will be the second time Verstappen has been beaten in 2024, having retired from the Australian GP won by Carlos Sainz due to brake problems.
“I mean, you win and you lose,” Verstappen told Sky. “I think we’re all used to racing, right?
“Today was a bit tricky. I think I’m already in the media, I don’t feel wonderful. We drifted away, but it was not to be.
“Then we made the pitstop and I heard what McLaren was doing on the lap and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s really quick’. When they also switched to the harder tyre, they had more speed, especially Lando, who was flying. It was incredibly difficult for us at that time.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, with Pollard on suspension
Photo: Zak Mauger / Motorsport films
“But if a bad day is P2, I’ll take it. I’m really happy for Lando. It’s been a long time coming. It’s not going to be his last film, so yeah, he definitely deserves it today.
When asked if McLaren’s revamped car reflected its true speed, he replied: “I hope so!
“I mean, they came up with an upgrade. Yeah, sure, it seems to be working. So, there’s a little bit of work on our part.
“Of course, it was not our strongest weekend in terms of race pace, but we will analyze everything and we will try to come back.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third, 2 seconds behind Verstappen, and praised Norris for an “incredible job”.
“I’m really excited about Lando,” Leclerc said. “He deserves it. Often, he comes very close to it, but for one reason or another he doesn’t do it, but today he did an incredible job.
“He was in it all weekend and already in Q2 I think there was a lap where I was like, ‘Okay, they’re too strong.’
“We expected them to be strong, maybe not as strong as they showed today. But he fully deserved it.
