What is perhaps most significant about it though is that the triumph was not the result of freak circumstances putting Verstappen out of contention, as happened in Australia with his brake problem.
Instead, Norris had to work hard for it, holding off his Red Bull rival at the safety car restart and then extending his advantage to the end of the race to come home well clear for a very popular win.
Here is how the international media have reacted to Norris's success
Britain's Fleet Street
The Daily Mail newspaper leads with the headline: "Lando Hope and Glory" and it said Norris: "has quickly become the poster boy for F1 and now Lando Norris has reached new heights bagging his first Grand Prix win in Miami pushing reigning world champion Max Verstappen off the top of the podium."
The Guardian had the headline: "'I freaking love it': Lando Norris proud to silence the critics with first F1 win at Miami Grand Prix." The newspaper goes on to explain how his triumph is "a moment of immense pride and one that he insisted would finally silence the critics and doubters who have called his talent into question."
Having arrived in Miami with a scar on his nose as the result of an injury he picked up celebrating King's Day with DJ Martin Garrick, The Daily Telegraph leads with: "From bloodied nose to King of Miami: Lando Norris an F1 winner at last."
It goes on to reflect on the significance of the result for both the young British driver and his McLaren team: "The sight of the young Briton leaping over the parc ferme barriers into the arms of his ecstatic mechanics, being hoisted onto their shoulders in tears, before wrapping McLaren chief executive Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella in big bear hugs, showed just how much this meant to him.
"And to the team. McLaren have been to rock bottom and back since Lewis Hamilton won their last world title back in 2008. The Woking team are starting to look seriously competitive once again."
The Sun's headline is: "Gamble Land-ed." Its race report goes in with: "LANDO NORRIS was the top Trump in the Miami Grand Prix after winning his first F1 GP. The brilliant Brit capitalised on a rare off day for the reigning world champion Max Verstappen to win this thriller at the Hard Rock Stadium."
Bild: He can be beaten!
The fact that a Grand Prix has not been won by Max Verstappen is the reason for a remarkable headline in the German Bild: 'Formel-1-Sieger is NICHT Verstappen', with the subtitle 'Big surprise in Miami'.
The race report then opens with the words: "He's beatable! Max Verstappen wins the Miami Grand Prix - NOT!" All this of course points to the continued dominance of Max Verstappen, which meant that few had expected a victory for anyone other than the Dutchman.
"Instead, Lando Norris surprisingly crosses the finish line first. Not only does he become the 114th driver in the history of the premier class of motorsport to win a race, he also avoids a negative record. If the Brit had stood on the podium for the 16th time in his career in Miami, he would have been the driver with the most grands prix between his first podium finish and his first victory. It didn't get that far."
The safety car really messed things up, as people in Germany also concluded: "Verstappen had recently had his first tyre change and thus relinquished his (clear) lead. With the safety car, the McLaren driver gets a 'free pitstop'.
The Briton returns to the track ahead of Verstappen and retains the lead during the flying restart. The McLaren star, who had already been labelled as 'eternal talent' by some experts in the paddock, then drove sovereignly to victory."
L'Equipe: A clear mistake
In France, the race report in the largest sports newspaper L'Equipe is headlined 'La surprise Norris'. Here too, the McLaren driver's victory was not expected.
"To beat Max Verstappen, you always need a bit of luck," the F1 reporter writes in the first paragraph.
"In Australia, Carlos Sainz and Ferrari benefited from the retirement of the three-time world champion. In Miami, Lando Norris scored his first ever F1 victory, thanks to a safety car at the wrong time for Verstappen."
This was the moment when everything fell in the right direction for the McLaren driver.
"By positioning itself in front of Max Verstappen's car and not in front of leader Norris, the safety car gave the team from Woking the opportunity to make a pit stop in peace and go out as the leader again. The safety car caught the entire field and slowed them down, especially Verstappen. An obvious mistake, but Norris was more than happy to unwrap the present. The Dutch giant still had to be defeated, but he did an excellent job."
With the usual grades, Norris was awarded a 9: "Admittedly, the safety car made it a lot easier for him by coming in at the best time and not necessarily in the best place (which kept him in the lead despite his pitstop). But once in the lead, Lando Norris put on a show. Untouchable with his hard tyres, he needed nothing and no one to stay ahead of Max Verstappen, who was over seven seconds behind him."
Gazzetta dello Sport: Red Bull is not invincible
'Finalmente Lando Norris!' opens the race report in the Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
Its report states: "The usual winner Max Verstappen finished second this time, due to a car with which he was unable to attack the Englishman. Norris led the race due to a stroke of luck with the timing of the safety car. A touch of luck that does not detract from the merits of the 24-year-old British talent."
However, people in Italy are also critical of the race management and the timing of the safety car, which meant that they did not catch leader Norris but pursuer Verstappen.
"Fortunately, this oversight by the FIA had no impact on the race. Norris had about 18 seconds ahead of Verstappen at the time of the neutralization, more than enough to make a pit stop under safety car conditions and maintain the lead. If the field had been closer together, this mistake could have been decisive."
In addition to the joy of a new race winner in the sport, people in Italy also draw another conclusion: "This race has shown that Red Bull is not invincible. McLaren took a big step forward with the extensive package of updates. Ferrari will also provide updates during the next GP in Imola. Strange that this 'turnaround' took place during the first GP after Adrian Newey announced his departure from Red Bull. Coincidence?", the author wonders.
