Lando Norris wins convincingly in Brazil, but his champagne trick goes wrong on the podium: the bottle shatters, and the fireworks provide extra laughs
Lando Norris had almost everything under control at the São Paulo Grand Prix. The McLaren driver dominated the race in changeable conditions and secured his third win of the season with a 14.602-second lead over Max Verstappen. On the podium, however, not everything went to plan: his traditional champagne celebration ended in a rather curious mishap, which subsequently went viral on social media.
After receiving his trophy, Norris attempted, as usual, to smash the champagne bottle on the floor so that the contents would spray out from the top. But this time the impact was too forceful: the bottle shattered and broke on the podium. When Norris then took a step forward, he also appeared to walk straight into the rising pyrotechnics.
The Briton did not appear to be injured. Instead, he took the incident in his stride and laughed it off with his podium mates Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. The Red Bull driver had finished the race in second place, whilst Hadjar came third.
Norris’s champagne trick goes wrong
The move is actually a trademark of Norris. He’s been celebrating in this particular way ever since his junior years: instead of shaking the bottle first and then spraying it, he smashes it against the ground with the base of the bottle.
#Norris didn’t quite pull off the champagne bottle trick at the #SaoPauloGP … 😉 #F12026 #F1 #Formula1 https://t.co/vxap12gnpx
— Christian Nimmervoll (@MST_ChristianN) 8 November 2026
Last year, Norris explained the trick on the F1 Explains podcast and revealed what’s key: “Instead of shaking the bottle and then splashing it about, you tap it on the floor.” The real art, however, lies in not breaking the bottle in the process. “The trick is not to break it. And you achieve that with a very, very thick and sturdy bottle.”
In São Paulo, it was precisely this part of the plan that went wrong. The base of the bottle apparently couldn’t withstand the impact. And as if that weren’t enough, Norris also found himself in the path of the fireworks shortly afterwards.
Fans mock the podium mishap
The clip spread quickly across social media. Numerous fans commented on the unusual combination of a broken bottle and a hit from the pyrotechnics. One user on Reddit summed up the moment as follows: “Bottle broken, ran into the fireworks. A victory he won’t forget in a hurry.”
Another joked that Norris would probably only receive a laminated certificate of participation at the next race. Further comments described the incident as yet another typical Lando moment on the podium.
The sequence of events in particular proved amusing: first, Norris smashed the champagne bottle with a powerful blow, then his head got caught in the spray of fireworks. Afterwards, he was also doused with champagne by the other two drivers on the podium.
The victory remains the most important thing
On the sporting front, however, Norris had every reason to be delighted. In a race characterised by changing conditions, he comfortably held off Verstappen to win by a margin of more than 14 seconds. Hadjar rounded off the podium in third place.
The botched celebration is therefore unlikely to have dampened the McLaren driver’s spirits. His third win of the season was a certainty – and thanks to the unusual podium interlude, the afternoon also produced a moment that is likely to remain a talking point on social media for a long time to come.