McLaren bringing upgrades to Silverstone helped Lando Norris stand on the podium for the first time this season. However, he got carried away during the celebrations alongside his friend and race winner Max Verstappen, dropping his hard-earned trophy while spraying the Red Bull driver with a $300 champagne bottle.
Norris’ performance at his home Grand Prix won the hearts of all fans, who were waiting for a McLaren resurgence. He started the race from P2 and even led it for a couple of laps before Verstappen took control. However, a brilliant strategy and some strong defending from Norris towards the end of the race saw him retain the P2 spot.
Like everyone else, Verstappen too was delighted to see the Brit, who is his ‘best friend’ on track, stand next to him on the podium. As soon as the race ended, he went on to Norris, who was sitting inside his McLaren to pat on his head. It was their first podium together this year, and they made it memorable for sure. Norris, however, ended up nearly damaging the prized memorabilia that he got for his hard work at the race on Sunday.
Lando Norris drops his British GP trophy
Norris was elated to be standing on the podium next to Verstappen and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. It was evident that he couldn’t wait for the celebrations to begin. But he was perhaps a bit too eager to get started, as he dropped his trophy in the process.
A video shared by Comfort Lando on Twitter shows the 23-year-old McLaren star spraying champagne on Verstappen next to him. Meanwhile, the trophy he got went down tumbling to the floor, and it took a while before Norris noticed what he had done.
Like always, the drivers on the podium were celebrating with a ‘Ferrari’ branded champagne, which despite its name, has no connection to the fabled Italian team. A single bottle of this particular ‘Ferrari’ costs $300.
Norris, however, won’t care, much as the memories he made in his home race, and the progress that McLaren is showing, will surely make him optimistic about more podium finishes in the races to come.
Major step forward for McLaren, Oscar Piastri and Norris
Norris was the McLaren driver who stood on the podium today, making the Woking-based team proud. However, Oscar Piastri’s heroic drive must also be brought to the limelight, as he narrowly missed out on his podium finish. The rookie Aussie driver lost out on a place because of the safety car, and despite his best efforts, couldn’t get P3 back from Hamilton.
Nevertheless, a P2 and P4 finish was incredible for McLaren who were nowhere near the front when the season started. They will now be hoping to keep this form, and fight for more podium places and potentially even win a Grand Prix in the upcoming outings.
