During the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren F1 detailed the unexpected visit from former President Donald Trump.
Could it be “Make McLaren Great Again”? Lando Norris praised Donald Trump following his victory yesterday at the Miami Grand Prix, which the former U.S. president attended.
Trump met with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown on the track before Sunday’s race. The team stated that he was not there as a guest, but they had been asked to allow him to visit their garage. This followed the organizers’ refusal to rent him a suite that could have been used to raise funds for his election campaign (read here).
Norris only met Trump after the race.
“I didn’t see him in the garage. I was busy preparing for the race. But he saw me afterward and came over to congratulate me. So I suppose it’s an honor, because whenever you have someone like that, it must be an honor for him to come to you, to take time out of his life, to pay tribute to what you’ve achieved.”
“Donald told me he was my lucky charm because it was the day of my victory. So I don’t know if he’ll come to more races now.”
“But there were a lot of special or nice people who came here this weekend. Donald is someone who deserves a lot of respect in many ways.”
“For someone like that to recognize what you can do and acknowledge the work ethic that goes into it, you have to be grateful, and I was. So, just a nice moment, that’s all.”
Trump, who was elected to the presidency in 2016 but failed to be re-elected four years later, is a polarizing figure. He refused to acknowledge his defeat in 2020 and was accused of inciting the crowd that stormed the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021, resulting in the deaths of five people, including a police officer.
He is currently on trial in New York for allegedly falsifying business documents to conceal a “secret” payment to an adult film star. This is one of many legal threats Trump is facing: other cases are pending regarding his alleged role in the January 6th insurrection, illegal retention of classified documents, electoral interference, defamation, and fraud.
Trump was photographed after the race wearing a cap with his campaign slogan, alongside Norris and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
McLaren F1 had to issue an explanatory statement.
“McLaren is an apolitical organization, but we recognize and respect the office of the President of the United States. Thus, when the request was made to visit our garage on race day, we agreed alongside the President of the FIA, and the CEOs of Liberty Media and Formula 1.”
“We were honored that McLaren Racing was chosen to represent F1, giving us the opportunity to showcase the world-class engineering we bring to motorsport.”
Other Formula 1 drivers have made less favorable comments about Trump in the past. Lewis Hamilton had previously described his 2016 electoral victory as “quite a terrible year for the world.”
As for Bernie Ecclestone, he of course had a very different view: for him, Trump was “the best thing that happened to the world”…
Trump’s Visit to McLaren F1: Norris Shows Respect. Trump’s Visit to McLaren F1: Norris Shows Respect
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