Christian Horner Claims the Damages Lando Norris Cost By Breaking Red Bull’s $44,500 Trophy was Far Greater Than Just its Monetary Value

A few weeks have passed since Lando Norris broke Max Verstappen’s winner’s trophy at the Hungarian Grand Prix podium, but it seems that Red Bull has not forgiven him for the damages. The Milton Keynes outfit’s team principal, Christian Horner, recently revealed how the trophy cost was far higher than the $44,500 it took to produce it. This is because he believes it costs his team members the opportunity to cherish the moment.

When it comes to the incident itself, it was nothing short of hilarious. Norris, as always, did his iconic celebrations at the Hungaroring by popping up the champagne bottle on the podium. However, to everyone’s surprise, he broke Verstappen and Red Bull’s hard-earned trophy.

While the Dutchman did not seem too concerned with his trophy breaking, Horner did not seem happy. The British team principal claimed that Norris and McLaren should “absolutely” pay for the damages they caused after they stole his side’s opportunity to celebrate the win.

Christian Horner blames Lando Norris for costing his Red Bull staff a golden opportunity

Christian Horner recently appeared on ESPN’s Unlapped program when he was asked to explain what it is about Red Bull and their trophies being broken. The 49-year-old began his remarks by describing how it was not their fault that Max Verstappen’s trophy broke in Budapest.

He criticized Lando Norris for breaking the “beautiful piece of porcelain trophy that took about six months to make.” After stating the same, Horner added how Red Bull now has a collection of the remaining bits in their trophy cabinet.

Once Horner finished his initial remarks, the interviewers asked him if Red Bull would send the bill to McLaren for the damages. He replied, “Absolutely, they get the bill for that one.” After stating the same, Horner then concluded his remarks by explaining how the damages that Norris cost weren’t just monetary.

“Unfortunately, we allow all our staff members to get a picture clicked with the trophy after a race win. It’s not a great picture with some bit of porcelain,” explained the Red Bull team principal. It is also pertinent to note that it wasn’t just Horner that asked McLaren to pay for it but also Verstappen himself.

Verstappen wants McLaren CEO Brown to compensate for his broken trophy

After the Hungarian Grand Prix podium celebrations, Max Verstappen had a hilarious interaction with Lando Norris. When the Red Bull driver confronted Norris, the Briton told him that it was his fault that the trophy broke.

On hearing the same, Verstappen seemed amazed and told Norris to ask McLaren CEO Zak Brown to compensate him for the broken trophy. “I will send Zak (Brown) the bill because he has a big budget with all the hiring [he is doing],” said the Dutchman.

Interestingly, just a few weeks later, Red Bull again had one of their trophies broken. However, on this occasion, it was not Norris’ fault. Instead, the Red Bull team members broke the trophy while celebrating Verstappen’s win at Spa.