Donald Trump’s appearance at the Miami GP was a surprise – but Max Verstappen didn’t mind too much (Photo: Getty)
Max Verstappen saw the lighter side of Donald Trump’s divisive appearance at last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
Many fans were stunned to see the 45th President of the United States arrive at the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday where he visited the McLaren garage and spoke to leading Formula 1 personnel.
The 77-year-old was later seen congratulating McLaren’s Lando Norris after the British driver won his first ever F1 grand prix, beating Verstappen after taking advantage of a mid-race safety car.
Trump’s presence at the race courted much controversy among fans, given that the sport’s governing body, the FIA, have banned drivers from making political statements at grand prix, yet Trump was allowed to attend despite being on the campaign trail as he seeks re-election.
Moreover, it was previously reported that the Miami GP and F1 stopped Steven Witkoff, a Trump associate, from allegedly planning to host a $250,000-a-ticket fundraiser in his Paddock Club rooftop suite.
McLaren issued a statement defending their decision to accommodate Trump: ‘McLaren is a non-political organisation however we recognise and respect the office of President of the United States so when the request was made to visit our garage on race day we accepted.
‘We were honoured that McLaren Racing was chosen as the representative of F1 which gave us the opportunity to showcase the world class engineering that we bring to motorsport.’
Trump congratulated Verstappen on his podium finish (Photo: Getty)
Thankfully the matter has not overshadowed the success of the grand prix weekend, and even Verstappen, who has consistently and notoriously shared his displeasure when off-track matters get in the way of racing, was able to make a joke out of the saga.
Asked about Trump’s appearance, the three-time world champion, as quoted by Canal+, quipped: ‘It’s good everyone looks at him, you know, and then they don’t bother me!’
Miami was only the fifth time in the last 31 races that Verstappen has failed to claim victory, though a second-placed finish can hardly be described as a bad thing.
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The Dutchman has extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to 33 points over his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third and Norris now up to fourth.
After six races, Verstappen remains on course to win a fourth straight title, with the next grand prix taking place at Imola in Italy on 19 May.
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