Norris triumphs in Brazil before podium bottle blunder

McLaren's British driver Lando Norris reacts on the pit lane after winning at the end of the Sao Paulo Formula One Grand Prix at the Jose Carlos Pace racetrack, aka Interlagos, in Sao Paulo, Brazil on November 8, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Monday, 09 Nov 2026 10:57 AM MYT

SAO PAULO, Nov 9 — It was almost a flawless day for Lando Norris yesterday when he won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix for McLaren - until he climbed on the podium and lifted the victor’s champagne bottle.

Having survived 71 laps of intense rain-hit racing, the 26-year-old outgoing world champion attempted his usual trick of crouching down and banging the base of the bottle on the floor to release the fizz.

This time the bottle gave way and shattered, filling the podium with broken glass, before he seemed to walk into the podium firework display.

It was his only mishap, but not his first embarrassing podium ceremony. And this time the incident went viral on social media.

Briefly, he looked shocked and needed a few seconds to regain the composure that helped him to a first win in eight races since the Dutch Grand Prix in August and the 14th of his career.

It was his second bottle-smashing accident after a similar incident that resulted in the breaking of Max Verstappen’s winner’s trophy at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.

He was unhurt and soon shared his happiness with the McLaren team.

“I have to say a big thanks to the team because they are still working very hard,” he said.

“It’s annoying when you can’t give them a good result, like the last few weeks, but certainly this weekend I feel like we have been able to give something back to them.

“It’s a reward for their hard work. Always a big thanks to them and we will have to keep pushing until the end of the year.”

He added: “It was tough! I just want to win very badly and to have a car that we can fight for the title with - not this year, but we’ve had our moments. I want it for a whole year and to have a consistent car, week in and week out, and we’re working on it.

“The main thing today was that I kept it cool and didn’t make any mistakes. I had the pace when I needed it so that was good. It’s so nice to be back on the top step - and what a place to do it as well.” — AFP