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6 months ago
22
Lando Norris failed to contain his excitement during an X-rated interview after taking his first Formula One race win at the Miami Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver jumped ahead of Max Verstappen after pitting under the safety car, to beat the dominant Dutchman by 7.6 seconds on Sunday.
It was his first victory at the 110th time of asking, with only eight drivers across the sport's 74-year history waiting longer for their maiden win.
Norris' boyhood dream became a reality and he was clearly overjoyed with his success during a post-race interview with Jenson Button live on television.
Asked by 2009 world champion Button for his feelings, Norris responded: 'Oh, about time, huh? F***.'
Lando Norris could not hide his excitement during an X-rated interview after his first win
The McLaren star ended his 110-race wait to take the first victory of his Formula One career
Norris jumped ahead of Max Verstappen during a safety car period to take the victory
The 24-year-old quickly apologised before continuing: 'What a race. It's been a long time coming but finally I've managed to do it.
'I'm so happy for my whole team that I finally delivered for them and yeah, a long day, tough race, but I'm finally on top, so I'm over the moon.'
It's been a long-time coming for the McLaren star who has come agonosingly close on several occasions over recent years to finishing on the top step of the podium.
In 2021, he finished behind former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo to finish second at the Italian Grand Prix.
The same year he looked destined to win in Russia, only to make the wrong tyre call during a late-race shower as he slid off the track and handed the victory to Lewis Hamilton.
Last year he had five second-place finishes and saw his team-mate Oscar Piastri take a sprint race victory in Qatar.
His long run without a victory saw some Formula One fans tease him with the moniker 'Lando no wins' on social media.
He added after the race: 'I never lost faith, I never didn't believe in what I could go out and do.
Norris was keen to silence his critics after being called 'Lando No-wins' by some on social media
Only eight drivers in Formula One history have waited longer to take their first victory
'So happy to put that to bed and prove a lot of these people wrong, because as much as I love to see it and I go on Instagram and I like all the comments of people abusing me, I freaking love it, it makes me smile more than anything, especially 'Lando No-wins'.
'For me to finally prove those people wrong and prove to people that didn't think I could go out and do it, it's put an even bigger smile on my face today. So I thank all of them.'
The list of drivers who have waited longer for their first win includes Sergio Perez who holds the record on 190, Carlos Sainz, Mark Webber, Rubens Barrichello, Jarno Trulli, Button, Nico Rosberg and Giancarlo Fisichella.
The victory puts him fifth in the championship, 56 points off runaway leader Verstappen.
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