The Formula One world is raging with competition as Red Bull receives challenges from McLaren and Ferrari. For the past three years, Red Bull has dominated the circuit with consecutive world championship triumphs. However, the 2024 season has witnessed a twist in the paradigm as teams like McLaren and Ferrari have pressed the paddle. 

While RBR has won four out of six races, McLaren and Ferrari are the only teams to defeat them in the past few weeks. At the same time, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari won the Australian GP when Max Verstappen had to retire early due to a technical failure. Now, Lando Norris got the checkered flag in the Miami GP. However, Ferrari Boss Fred Vasseur feels luck played a crucial role in the Miami triumph. 

Fred Vasseur Feels Luck Played Its Part In McLaren’s Victory

The recent Sunday race at Hard Rock Stadium was full of exhilarating performances and unexpected results. While everyone was waiting for Max Verstappen to maintain his winning streak in Florida, Lando Norris stole the show. However, experts suggest that Verstappen could have reclaimed the lead if the safety car’s deployment hadn’t altered the situation. The Dutchman was behind Norris during the safety car period. However, he was expected to make a move and clinch the title in the latter half of the race. Nevertheless, Lando Norris outpaced the reigning world champion to pop the champagne. While the F1 fraternity was all praises for the Brit, the safety car was among the reasons for his victory. During the deployment of the safety vehicle, the gap between Norris and Verstappen was 10-12 seconds. The three-time world champion could have quickly cleared if it was an uninterrupted race, as Norris had a due pit stop. 

Nonetheless, the 24-year-old Briton was slightly better in the D-day, clinching his maiden title. The Ferrari Boss, Fredric Vasseur, pointed out the ‘luck factor’ in Norris’s first Grand Prix victory. Further, he said the deployment of a safety car in front of Verstappen gave a slight edge to the McLaren driver. However, Vassuer is confident that Red Bull is ‘not in the comfort zone’ as the challenge from Ferrari and McLaren amplifies. Thus, he believes the two teams will give a headache to the reigning champions in the upcoming races. 

F1 Legend Points Out A Mistake From Lando Norris’s Miami Triumph 

While Lando Norris had luck and performance in his pocket, the former F1 legend has pointed out a mistake that could have been a party spoiler. In his Sky Sports column, Martin Brundle wrote about an error from Norris after the restart when 27 laps were remaining. 

He explained that Norris could have either accelerated at the final turn 17 or gone slow until the short barking zone. On the contrary, the driver was somewhere in the middle, which gave Verstappen an outside chance. However, in the end, Norris was quick enough to compensate for the error and won his much-awaited first title.