Lando Norris gives an update after a scary moment on the Brazilian GP podium and shares what really happened
Lando Norris wanted to put fans’ minds at ease after a little mishap during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix podium celebrations. The McLaren driver accidentally walked into a live sparkler while celebrating his win.
Norris took the checkered flag in tricky weather, finishing ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. After getting his champagne bottle, he jumped off the top step of the podium and smashed it on the ground — breaking it into pieces. Still holding the upper part of the bottle, he stumbled back and accidentally caught his ear on a sparkler. It looked like it hurt, and Verstappen and Hadjar were busy celebrating around him.
Thankfully, Norris has now updated everyone, saying his ear is “fine” and there’s no damage. During a live stream on Monday, he answered a fan’s question about his ear: “My ear is fine, thanks for asking,” he said. “People keep asking why I walked into it. I was sprayed with champagne in my eyes from the broken bottle and couldn’t see where I was going.”
He added, “I didn’t realize how much champagne stings the eyes. I just felt something warm on my ear and thought it was a fly. It didn’t hurt though — I’m tough! I was more shocked that my bottle broke for the first time ever.”
The sparkler incident didn’t spoil what was an almost perfect weekend for Norris — his third win of the 2026 season. The only small hiccup was losing the race lead on the first lap, even after getting pole position.
But Norris quickly got back to first place after new world champ Kimi Antonelli, who was having suspension trouble, spun off at turn one right after the first pit stops. After that, Norris stayed in the lead, even through a heavy rain shower near the end that forced drivers to switch to intermediate tires.
Though Norris has given up the 2026 title to Antonelli, McLaren’s strong start to the season meant he wasn’t really in the championship hunt — a bit like Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 season. Like Hamilton back then, McLaren’s mid-season upgrades have made them race frontrunners again, even if their performance isn’t always consistent.
Norris has had a steady and strong year so far. After his win at Interlagos, he told F1TV’s James Hinchcliffe, “It was a tough race with tricky conditions, and my start wasn’t great. But I stayed cool, avoided mistakes, and had the pace when it counted. It’s great to be back on top, especially at a place like this.”
He also showed appreciation for his team: “We had chances to get pole and win today, and I feel like most times this year, when there’s been an opportunity, I went for it and we achieved it. Big thanks to the team — they work so hard, and it’s frustrating when I can’t give them good results. But this weekend felt like a nice reward for all their effort.”