Lando Norris sends Max Verstappen a warning at the F1 2025 Miami GP that the Red Bull ace shouldn’t expect a rerun of his victory in Suzuka, claiming DRS could help the McLaren blast by in Sunday’s race.
The Brit starts Sunday’s race at the Miami International Autodrome from second on the grid after being pipped by 0.065 by the Dutchman, an eerily similar pattern to the Japanese GP in April.
The day after that qualifying session, the defending champion went on to keep the 25-year-old and Oscar Piastri at bay across 53 laps due to the limited overtaking opportunities and one DRS zone.
But that might not be the case in Florida on May 4, with the circuit having two DRS zones to mount a challenge as well as lengthy braking zones to go for an audacious divebomb move.
And it’s because of this that Norris sends Verstappen a warning at Sunday’s F1 2025 Miami GP by telling him not to expect a repeat of his triumph in Japan back on April 6.
“I would say so. The DRS helps a lot around here with the overtaking,” Norris said of his chances to members of the media; including Total-Motorsport.com. “It’s what you need.
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“You also have some much bigger braking zones than you have in Suzuka, so I hope so anyway. I hope that’s the case and we can have a good race tomorrow.
“But I don’t just expect competition from Max. Kimi’s [Antonelli] been quick all weekend and Oscar has been as well. So, I just expect a tough race from all accounts.”
Norris happy despite missing out on pole at F1 2025 Miami GP
On paper, qualifying second behind a Red Bull generally agreed to be slower than the McLaren is a bad result for Norris in his aim to become the team’s first world champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
But considering he is ahead of Piastri, and the recent context of his sixth on the grid in Bahrain and a crash at Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche Circuit, it represents a positive sign for the Brit.
It’s actually something he’s keen to acknowledge, despite being famed for his intensely self-critical approach to his career, as the 25-year-old gives himself his flowers in Miami.
“Very. I mean, I’m very happy with the end result,” Norris added. “Just a shame when you miss out on pole, so that’s the only frustrating bit.
“But I think I’ve been trying different things, I’ve been doing different things with the team to try and work a bit more in this area and things have been taking a step forward.
“So I’m happy. Maybe not quite there yet, but happy with the progress.”
