Lando Norris apologizes to Max Verstappen for breaking the Dutchman’s $40,000 worth Hungarian GP trophy

Lando Norris was regretful for breaking Max Verstappen's trophy on the Hungarian GP podium.

Lando Norris apologizes to Max Verstappen for breaking the Dutchman’s $40,000 worth Hungarian GP trophy

Lando Norris (image via PlanetF1), Max Verstappen (image via Autosport)

The Hungarian GP was an action-packed race for F1 fans despite Max Verstappen‘s dominant victory. However, the action carried onto the podium after the race as Lando Norris broke Verstappen’s trophy while trying to spray the champagne. The McLaren driver has now come out to apologize to the two-time world champion and pledges not to repeat it.

Norris admitted that the incident was unintentional. The British driver recognized the immense cultural value of the $40,000 worth trophy to the people of Hungary. The Mclaren driver regretted making jokes about this incident after the race as he understood the severity of the situation. As the trophy broke into a couple of pieces.

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He told the media at Spa, “First of all, I do want to apologize, I had no intention. I know what it means to Hungarians and what it means to their culture. I of course made a couple of jokes about it, but maybe I shouldn’t, I do feel bad.”

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The British driver was sorrowful for his action and admitted that he would have been annoyed if he had been in Max Verstappen’s place. The 25-year-old was determined not to repeat such an incident in the future as he tries to be more cautious. Norris explained. “I did apologize to Max. If he did it to my trophy I’d be annoyed. I will make sure I’m a lot more careful when I celebrate next time.”

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Lando Norris has achieved two consecutive podiums in the last two races

Lando Norris, Hungarian GP (image via F10
Lando Norris, Hungarian GP (image via F10

McLaren had a troublesome start to the 2023 F1 season. The Woking-based team struggled to score points in the early rounds of the year. However, the British team has had a massive turnaround in its results in recent rounds. Lando Norris bagged two podium finishes in the last two races, with teammate Oscar Piastri not far behind the British driver.

The Woking-based team has brought in major upgrades since the Austrian GP. Rivals believed that McLaren had extracted a second in lap time with these upgrades. However, Team Principal Andrea Stella dismissed such claims straightaway. The British outfit will be looking to continue its strong performance at the last round of the season before the F1 summer break.

Thus, Lando Norris has apologized to Max Verstappen for shattering the trophy on the Hungarian GP podium. The handmade trophy was a work of art that took several months before the British driver broke it unintentionally. Though, Verstappen would certainly forgive his fellow racing driver after hearing Norris’ apology for the incident.

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