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Max Verstappen said he was pleased that former US President Donald Trump got all the attention pre-race at the Miami GP on Sunday.
The controversial American is once again billing to become the Presidential nominee of the Republican Party for the elections later this year and probably attended the race in Miami as a part of his campaign trail.
The 77-year-old billionaire came to the Sunshine State as a guest of the McLaren F1 team and got all the limelight in the paddock. He came onto the track to acknowledge the fans present at the Miami Autodrome before the race began.
However, his presence in the paddock did not bother Red Bull driver and three-time world champion Max Verstappen as he said to the media pre-race:
"It's good everyone looks at him, u know, then they dont bother me."
Race winner Lando Norris had a more hands-on experience with him as Donald Trump was one of the first people to congratulate the 23-year-old after his maiden win in F1. In his post-race press conference, the McLaren driver said:
'Yeah. I didn't see him in the garage, to be honest. I was busy prepping for the race. But he saw me after, and he came up to congratulate me. So I guess an honor, because whenever you have someone like this, it has to be an honor for them to come up to you, to take time out of their life, to pay their respect for what you've done.
"He said he was my lucky charm because it's my win. So I don't know if he's going to come to more races now."
Max Verstappen congratulates Lando Norris after his win in Miami
Max Verstappen said Lando Norris's first win was a long time coming in F1 and pointed out that the latter was faster than him on Sunday.
In the press conference, the Dutch driver said:
"Well, I think it was a long time coming, you know, and I'm very happy to be beaten by Lando today. He definitely deserved it. He was just miles faster at the end there. So, yeah, it's great. You know, winning your first race is always, I think, quite emotional."
It would be interesting to see if Max Verstappen and Lando Norris would have more battles over the upcoming races or whether the former continues his dominance.
