Ferrari credits Safety Car for Lando Norris’ triumph over Max Verstappen at Miami GP

Lando Norris triumphed over Max Verstappen by a lead of over 7 seconds after a late Safety Car.

Ferrari credits Safety Car for Lando Norris’ triumph over Max Verstappen at Miami GP

Lando Norris (L), Max Verstappen (R), Fred Vasseur (C) (images via IMAGO).

Lando Norris finally took his first-ever F1 win during the Miami GP. The Briton took advantage of the Safety Car which helped him pit without losing any time. Hence, the odds were in Norris’ favor as Max Verstappen faced issues in the race. Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur reckoned that the safety car was the crucial element for the 24-year-old’s maiden victory over the Dutchman.

Multiple people had claimed the Safety Car to be the reason that Lando Norris scored his maiden race win. However, Max Verstappen, despite facing chassis damage due to an incident sided with the 24-year-old and his capabilities to score the race win. Fred Vasseur highlighted that Norris was lucky due to him being the only one on the track. Also, the safety car was deployed ahead of Verstappen and not the race leader.

I would say that probably Lando [Norris] was a bit lucky, because he was the only one on track, But more than this, I think it's the fact that they put the safety car in front of [Max] Verstappen.
Fred Vasseur said, as reported by racingnews365.com.
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Additionally, the Ferrari team principal joked about the entire situation. Vasseur mentioned that the Safety Car was just used to Verstappen leading the pack and hence it started from him. Also, the safety car was very slow which ended up being a great move for Norris towards the end. Hence, all these factors combined were the reason for the Briton’s easy race win.

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They are so used to having Verstappen leading the pack that they sent the safety car in front of him and the safety car was quite slow and it was a very good move at the end for Lando.
Fred Vasseur noted.

Fred Vasseur claims Ferrari was ‘unlucky’ after pitting Carlos Sainz just before Safety Car

Ferrari has had consistent strategies and efficient pit stops in the 2024 season so far. However, during the Safety car from Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen’s crash, Carlos Sainz had just come out from the pit. This meant that the Spaniard lost crucial time while pitting which could’ve saved had he pitted before the incident. As a result, Sainz could only manage a P5 finish for the Miami GP against Norris’ victory.

Carlos Sainz, Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc.
Carlos Sainz, Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc (Via IMAGO)

Speaking upon this misfortune, Fred Vasseur took a hilarious take on the situation. Vasseur mentioned that he forgot to bring his ‘crystal ball’ to predict the future. Additionally, the team principal reckoned that it was unlucky for the team to be in such a situation during the Miami GP. Hence, the team will try to bounce back from the results at the upcoming Emilia-Romagna GP in front of the home crowd.

I forgot the crystal ball, I was not aware that [Logan] Sargeant and [Kevin] Magnussen would crash the lap after [Sainz had pitted]. Yeah, for sure, that you are in this situation you are a bit unlucky.
Fred Vasseur concluded.

Ferrari will be bringing in multiple upgrades to the SF24 challenger to score some better results at the upcoming Grand Prix. The Italian fans are expecting Maranello to score much better results in the next round. The Italian constructor has already showcased great improvement as compared to the previous season’s start.

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