Donald Trump’s visit to the McLaren garage in Miami is causing controversy
McLaren commented on the visit of former US President Donald Trump to their garage before the Miami Grand Prix, stating that it was not a show of support for his political ambitions.
The Miami Grand Prix sees personalities from all over the world every year, coming to enjoy the excitement of the F1 race in Florida. And there is one who did not go unnoticed in the paddock. During a break from his ongoing trial in New York, Donald Trump made a controversial appearance in Miami on Sunday.
He was in the McLaren garage, talking to the team’s CEO, Zak Brown before the race, while some spectators were chanting his name. Trump’s divisive policy inevitably sparked a debate about why F1 and McLaren offered him an international media platform. McLaren immediately clarified its decision, stating that it had nothing to do with politics.
In a statement released by the team, it is indicated that: « McLaren is a non-political organization, however, we recognize and respect the role of the President of the United States. So, 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 as a representative of F1, which gave us the opportunity to showcase the world-class engineering that we bring to motorsport. »
The visit of Donald Trump to McLaren coincided with the team’s first victory in F1 since the Italian Grand Prix 2021, while Lando Norris achieved a brilliant victory in Miami. Lando Norris said that Donald Trump congratulated him after the race for his success. « He said that he was my lucky charm because it’s my victory. So I don’t know if he will come to more races now. »
« I didn’t see him in the garage, to be honest. I was busy getting ready for the race. But he saw me later and came to congratulate me. So I suppose it’s an honor, because when you have someone like him, it must be an honor for them to come to you, to take time out of their life to pay tribute to what you have done. But yes, there were a lot of special or cool people here this weekend. Donald is someone you have to respect in many ways, says the British driver.
