Lando Norris, who took his first Formula 1 victory at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, said it was an “honour” to have Donald Trump supporting him from the McLaren garage.
The embattled former president was flanked by his Secret Service security team as he arrived at Hard Rock Stadium to spend time with McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
He also met F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem before congratulating the 24-year-old Briton on his first victory.
“He saw me afterwards and came to congratulate me, so I guess it’s an honour,” he told Mail Sport.
“Whenever someone like that comes up to you to take time out of their life and show you their respect for what you’ve done… it has to be an honor,” he continued.
Donald Trump congratulated Lando Norris on his first Formula 1 victory in Miami on Sunday
“It’s an honour,” the 24-year-old told the Mail when asked about the former president’s appearance.
Norris described the interaction as a “cool moment,” and revealed that the current GOP front-runner said it was “a lucky charm.”
“I don’t know if he’ll come to any more races now,” Norris joked.
“But there are a lot of special, great people who have been here this weekend. Donald is someone you have to have a lot of respect for in a lot of ways and you have to be grateful for anyone who recognizes what you can go out and do and the work ethic that you have. things imply that.’
The Republican candidate spent time in McLaren’s garage talking to CEO Zak Brown
The politician, flanked by secret service agents, also met with the heads of F1 and the FIA.
The papaya team previously distanced itself from the equally orange politician.
“McLaren is a non-political organization, however, we recognize and respect the position of 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,” the team said in a statement.
Norris took victory over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third place.