Carlos Sainz claims ‘luck factor’ got Lando Norris to win Miami GP

Lando Norris won his maiden F1 race since making his debut with McLaren in 2019.

Carlos Sainz claims ‘luck factor’ got Lando Norris to win Miami GP

Carlos Sainz [L] Lando Norris [R] (images via IMAGO)

Lando Norris finally ended his F1 win drought at the Miami GP. The Briton held the unwanted record for the most podiums in the sport without a race victory. The McLaren driver gained an advantage over the rest of the grid after a Safety Car. Now, Norris’ former teammate Carlos Sainz has highlighted the luck factor behind this triumph.

The British driver took the race lead after an incident between Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen. The Safety car ended up in front of Max Verstappen instead of Lando Norris initially. Carlos Sainz stated that in F1, luck often plays a role and that is what happened for Norris as he won the Miami GP. 

In F1, there's just this luck factor that Lando [Norris] got and won a race.
Carlos Sainz said, as reported by Motorsport.com
YouTube video

However, Sainz pointed out that the McLaren driver had driven incredibly for several races in a row. As such, the Spaniard affirmed that irrespective of the luck involved, Lando Norris truly deserved to win the race. Previously, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur credited this as a reason for Norris’ victory. On the other hand, Martin Brundle insisted that it was more nuanced than that.

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But he's been driving like a race winner for many, many races in a row now. And he just deserves that win. Luck no luck, doesn't matter.
Carlos Sainz explained

Carlos Sainz claims drivers without the best car ‘need a bit of luck’

The Ferrari driver claimed that it was about time that Lando Norris became an F1 race winner. The McLaren driver had come close to winning a Grand Prix at the 2021 Russian GP. However, Norris lost control and ran wide in wet conditions. 

He's a race winner. And it was about time that it was coming for him.
Carlos Sainz asserted
Lando Norris celebrating his maiden F1 victory
Lando Norris celebrating his maiden F1 victory (Via IMAGO)

Carlos Sainz highlighted that fans needed to accept that when drivers do not have the best car, they need luck on their side to win the race. Sainz is the only other non-Red Bull driver to win in F1 in since last season. The Spaniard’s victory at this year’s Australian GP came after Max Verstappen was forced to retire the car due to a technical failure.

And people just need to accept that when you don't have the best car, sometimes you need a bit of luck.
Carlos Sainz concluded

Lando Norris did get lucky with the Safety Car at the Miami GP. However, the British driver managed to hold on to the lead and fend off Max Verstappen for half of the Grand Prix. This showed Norris’ capabilities albeit Verstappen did have damage on his RB20. Nevertheless, the McLaren driver would be hoping to challenge for more victories this season.

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