Charles Leclerc won the 2017 F2 Championship at Jerez de la Frontera and the wrong national anthem was played for his podium celebrations.
A Formula 1 Grand Prix is incomplete without a rostrum celebration. It is one of the most significant events there is.
The top three drivers take to the podium, the national anthem of the winning driver is played; the crowd cheers, trophies are raised and champagne is sprayed or at least that’s what’s supposed to happen.
For many athletes, there’s no prouder or more emotional moment than standing on the podium and hearing their national anthem being played in celebration.
Especially for a championship winner, that experience is even more spine-tingling. But for Charles Leclerc’s Formula two title ceremony, did not go the traditional way.
When the wrong national anthem was played for Charles Leclerc’s podium ceremony
The Ferrari junior driver claimed the 2017 Formula two championship after winning the first race of that weekend’s event in Jerez. Having built up a comfortable lead over the field, a Safety Car period reduced Leclerc’s advantage over the field.
To make things more challenging, a few backmarkers wouldn’t move aside since the Jerez marshals allegedly forgot to bring their blue flags. Despite the chaos unfolding behind him, he held off championship rival Oliver Rowland to take victory by 0.2s.
But the chaos continued even after the chequered flag when the organizers played the wrong national anthem on the podium.
Instead of playing the Monegasque national anthem in honour of Leclerc, the French national anthem (La Marseillaise) was played. It led to a very confused and not amused race winner who then accepted it and put his hands back out of respect.
Later, the wrong anthem was interrupted and changed to the correct Monegasque national anthem (Hymne Monegasque). Which is played alongside the Italian anthem representing the car manufacturer.
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Mexican Hat Dance and Happy Birthday songs instead of the national anthem?
Rarely does the sport deviate significantly from the tried and tested script of podium ceremonies. But sometimes, things don’t go as expected. And, the Charles Leclerc incident was not the first time such an event had occurred.
First-race victories are often the cause of uncontrollable joy. Alan Jones may have anticipated the same during the first of his 12 career wins. However, his victory was so unexpected that the organizers did not have access to the Australian national song for his podium ceremony.
So, during the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix, the former world champion had to be content with a drunk playing “Happy Birthday” on a trumpet.
The Mexican racing driver Pedro Rodriguez experienced a similar incident when he won the 1967 South African Grand Prix. Since the band didn’t have a copy of the Mexican national anthem; the organizers played the Mexican hat dance instead of the “Himno Nacional Mexicano”.
Rodriguez went on to win two Formula One Grand Prix, but since the 1967 incident; he always traveled with a Mexican flag and a recording of the Mexican national anthem.
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