- The former president toured the McLaren garage before starting the race
- Lando Norris won his first grand prix in Miami
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Former US President Donald Trump was seen speaking to McLaren driver Lando Norris moments after his first grand prix victory in Miami.
Footage shows the former president and current Republican Party front-runner wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap and speaking to the driver.
It’s not exactly clear what Trump said to Norris, but that same day, the 45th president was seen taking a tour of the McLaren garage and speaking with the team’s CEO, Zak Brown.
A statement from McLaren read: “McLaren is a non-political organization, however, we recognize and respect the office of the President of the United States, so when a request was made to visit our garage on race day, we agreed along with the president of the FIA and the CEOs of Liberty Media and Formula 1.
“We are honored that McLaren Racing was chosen to represent F1, giving us the opportunity to showcase the world-class engineering we bring to motorsport.”
Former President Donald Trump was seen congratulating Lando Norris after his victory in F1
Trump speaks with McLaren CEO Zak Brown while visiting the McLaren garage before the race.
Norris won his first Formula One grand prix at the Miami International Speedway
Trump’s appearance at the Miami Grand Prix comes after organizers halted his plans for a fundraiser because he violated the terms of his hospitality suite agreement by planning to raise money for a federal election.
The former president’s friend Steven Witkoff, who recently testified for Trump in New York, purchased the suite in his name in order to manage the fundraiser.
‘We have become aware that you may be using your Paddock Club Rooftop Suite for a political purpose, i.e. raising money for a federal election at $250,000 per ticket, which clearly violates the Formula 1 Crypto suite licensing agreement. com Miami Grand Prix. ‘ read a cease and desist letter.
“If this is true, we regret to inform you that your suite license will be revoked, you will not be able to attend the race at any time and we will refund you in full.”
Race officials did not make any public comment on the story, while Witkoff told the New York Post that “this is kind of false, for sure,” but declined to comment further.
As for the race itself, Lando Norris executed a perfectly executed race strategy that included a well-timed pit stop while the safety car came out for fresh, hard tires.
That allowed him to take advantage of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who finished second, but 7.6 seconds behind Norris.
It is the first time Norris has won a Formula One race, a maiden victory that he hopes will be the first of many to come.