Donald Trump, the former president, attended the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday as a guest of McLaren. A flurry of attention followed Trump as he emerged into the paddock and entered the McLaren garage.
Zak Brown, the American CEO of McLaren, spoke with Trump after he had waved to the audience from the pit box. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 chief Stefano Domenicali were also among the people he met.
Given Max Verstappen’s dominance in qualifying and the Sprint race earlier in the weekend, it was not surprising that McLaren would go on to win the race. You can read the race recap here.
Following the race, Trump spoke with Lando Norris. Later, Norris told the media that he felt “honored” that Trump had come to talk to him. Additionally, he claimed that Trump had informed him he was his lucky charm.
The TV pundits seized the chance to declare that Norris had won in Miami, declaring that “Norris trumps Lando” as he finished.
Trump’s participation in the Formula 1 is very controversial given he is currently facing a criminal trial regarding payments made in exchange for hush money.
People on both sides of the aisle celebrated and jeered as he emerged from the garage and into pit lane, demonstrating the range of emotions sparked by his presence. When questioned about the visit, McLaren prepared an explanation for Trump’s presence in the team’s garage. It is seen below.
The CEOs of Formula 1 and Liberty Media, as well as the president of the FIA, accepted the invitation to visit our garage on race day. Although McLaren is a non-political business, we acknowledge and respect the office of the President of the United States.
“We were privileged to demonstrate the top-notch engineering we bring to motorsport when McLaren Racing was selected as the F1 representative.”
When asked what he thought of the previous president being present as well, Norris gave a more detailed account of his conversation with Trump during the driver’s press conference following the race.
When you have someone like this, it must be an honor for you for them to approach you and for them to take the time out of their lives to show their respect for what you’ve accomplished.
He spotted me later and approached me to congratulate me. Because of my victory, he claimed to be my lucky charm, which made Norris giggle.
I’m not sure if he will attend additional races moving forward, but yes, this past weekend has brought in a lot of unique and interesting folks.
In any case, you have to be very respectful to Donald, and you should be grateful to someone who recognizes your abilities and your work ethic in general. And I was having a great time, so yeah.