Lando Norris’ frustrating Spanish Grand Prix weekend has yielded another surprise as the Formula 1 world champion was spotted sipping Coca-Cola in the cooldown room after Sunday’s race.
Norris had been third in the new Madring circuit at Madrid after dropping the lead due to an unfortunate Virtual Safety Car timing issue. However, the moment the race was over, the focus was immediately on a strange interaction between the McLaren driver and the soft drink he was holding.
Why Did Lando Norris Drink Coca-Cola?
Norris was in the cooldown room with race winner Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen when he was allegedly told by an off-camera official to put down the Coca-Cola.
The reason is that Formula 1 has a commercial tie-up with PepsiCo, which makes Coca-Cola a competitor in the same beverage category.
(Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images)
Norris was unimpressed by the request and responded: “I just did a race, so I’m allowed to drink what I would like. Thank you very much.”
The moment was soon shared online and many fans applauded Norris for his choice of what to drink after a Grand Prix.
But former Haas team principal Gunther Steiner had other ideas.
Gunther Steiner Calls Norris’ Move Unprofessional
On The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner said that Norris should have known better and respected the commercial arrangements of Formula 1.
“If you are a professional, you don’t do that. End of story,” Steiner said.
Steiner was careful to admit that he did not consider the incident especially serious.
Is it a bad thing that he did it? No, but I suppose you shouldn’t do it, but he has done it, and you know what? I couldn’t give a sh*t. For Coca-Cola, it worked out pretty good, you know.
He said the incident had brought publicity to the brand that it wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
Steiner’s words have only added to one of the weirdest moments of the Spanish GP weekend. Norris didn’t win the race, but he did make for some attention off the track.