Formula 1: Lando Norris not Miami's top point scorer, despite win

In his 110th career Formula 1 start in his sixth season in the sport, McLaren's Lando Norris finally earned the right to stand on the top step of the podium at Miami International Autodrome on Sunday afternoon.

Norris made the most of a timely safety car to keep the lead of the Miami Grand Prix, as he had not yet made his pit stop. He had inherited the lead after Red Bull's Max Verstappen made his.

Norris came out in front of Verstappen, the two-time reigning winner of the 57-lap race around the 19-turn, 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer) temporary street circuit around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and he pulled away after the restart to secure his first career victory.

He had been the all-time recordholder for most podium finishes without a win (15). Now he is one for 16, returning the record (13) to Nick Heidfeld.

Yet it was still Max Verstappen who finished Miami Grand Prix weekend with the most points scored.

Verstappen finished the weekend with 26 points, compared to Norris' tally of 25. Verstappen won Saturday's 19-lap sprint race from the pole position to score eight points, while Norris was taken out in a first corner melee which saw questionable moves from both Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll.

Contact led to an opening lap retirement for Norris, who had qualified in a disappointing ninth place after topping the speed charts in both SQ1 and SQ2.

The 24-year-old Briton was still in position to score 26 points for the weekend with a Sunday victory. But thanks to teammate Oscar Piastri, that did not come to fruition.

Piastri's defensive maneuver against Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. drew Sainz's ire. A few laps later, when Sainz finally made his move around the McLaren for fourth place, there was contact which damaged Piastri's front wing, forcing him to make an untimely pit stop.

Now on new tires, Piastri took the fastest lap point off of his teammate. The move ultimately cost McLaren a point in the constructor championship, as Piastri was unable to actually score that point since he did not finish in the top 10. He had to settle for 13th place.

However, even had Piastri not run the fastest lap, there were three other drivers who ended up running faster laps than Norris anyway: Williams' Alex Albon, Red Bull's Sergio Perez, and Sainz.

And at the end of the day, it was Verstappen whose championship lead grew from the start of the weekend to the end of it. He now owns a 35-point lead over teammate Perez, who has been unable to win either one of the two races Verstappen hasn't won through six starts this year. Norris still sits in fifth place in the standings, but he is now just 18 points outside of the top two.

The next race on the schedule is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place at Imola Circuit on Sunday, May 19. Imola did not host a race last year due to flooding. Verstappen is the two-time reigning winner of the race. Live coverage is set to be provided by ESPN2 beginning at 8:55 a.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!