Lando Norris had a stellar performance on the track at the Chinese Grand Prix, finishing second in the main race. However, his errors off the track were far from flawless and left Formula 1 pundits baffled. Post-race, Norris parked his car in the wrong spot, failing to join Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, who had also finished on the podium. Adding to his blunders, he wore the wrong hat on the podium, donning the P3 hat instead of the P2 hat that corresponded with his second-place finish.
These errors did not go unnoticed by F1 experts. On Sky Sports F1’s podcast, Christian Hewgill expressed doubts about trusting an F1 driver to park after witnessing Norris’s mishaps. David Croft took a more mocking tone, stating that Norris had a ‘shocker’ at the Chinese Grand Prix. Croft added, “You think he would be used to picking up a hat with a number two on it,” suggesting that Norris may not enjoy finishing in second place.
Norris’s podium mishaps have become somewhat of a running gag. Last year at the Hungarian Grand Prix, he accidentally broke Max Verstappen’s trophy while celebrating his second-place finish. Norris’s excitement led him to pop up the champagne too forcefully, resulting in a mishap that left Verstappen with a broken trophy. Despite the incident, the two drivers remained in good spirits, and the Hungarian GP organizers provided Verstappen with a replacement trophy.
Norris’s ‘shocking’ errors at the Chinese Grand Prix highlight the need for drivers to be mindful not only on the track but also off it. The podium is a place where drivers are expected to represent their teams and the sport professionally, and Norris’s mistakes have left experts questioning his attention to detail and respect for the traditions of Formula 1.
