Source: Official Team Post via X
Lando Norris Unfazed by Soda Drama in F1 Cooldown Room
Lando Norris faced no further backlash after sipping a can of Coca-Cola in the F1 cooldown room, despite a minor scolding from an official. While McLaren might have received a gentle reprimand, Norris remains undeterred, standing by his right to choose his post-race beverage.
Lando Norris, McLaren's star driver, recently found himself in a bit of a fizz over his choice of refreshment. After securing third place at the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring, Norris indulged in a can of Coca-Cola in the cooldown room, only to be gently reprimanded by an official. His response? A cheeky retort: “I just did a race, so I’m allowed to drink what I would like. Thank you so much.”
The race was no walk in the park. With Max Verstappen clinching victory in a grueling 1 hour and 42 minutes under sweltering conditions—30°C air and nearly 55°C track temperature—Norris might have deserved a refreshing break. However, the issue seemed to bubble up because Formula 1 is sponsored by Pepsi, Coca-Cola’s rival, making Norris's choice of drink a potential branding faux pas.
Former Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner, weighed in on the matter, calling Norris’s actions unprofessional on the Red Flags podcast. Yet, he admitted it wasn’t a significant misstep, adding, “I couldn’t give a s**t. For Coca-Cola, it worked out pretty good.”
Despite the kerfuffle, Norris hasn’t faced any repercussions. However, McLaren might have received a subtle nudge, as the team has now introduced unbranded holders for the drivers' drinks, ensuring such branding mishaps are avoided in the future.
In Austin, Norris shrugged off the incident, stating, “No, no one’s ever said anything to me since. I feel like we should be allowed to drink whatever we want after a race, especially when you’re in it for two hours. It’s been some of the hardest races, these cars are also difficult to drive.”
He continued, “I think the team might have been told off more than I was, and therefore we have little holders to put our drinks in, so it’s unbranded. But I think I’m allowed to drink whatever I can. It’s just the branding issues they have.”
Norris made it clear that he doesn’t see this as something he needs to dwell on, suggesting that the matter was likely sorted out behind the scenes. “But yeah, that’s simply what it was. I think it’s just TV and branding and all of those things. But I can drink what I would like,” he concluded, sticking to his guns on the matter.