Stella explains Norris podium mishap at São Paulo

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has said Lando Norris was caught out by pyrotechnics during the podium celebrations after his São Paulo Grand Prix win, rather than by the bottle he broke. Norris won at Interlagos by more than 14 seconds from Max Verstappen, his third victory of the season and 14th of his Formula 1 career. As he stepped off the dais, Norris hit the champagne bottle on the floor and it smashed, leaving him holding the neck. He then moved forward and was caught on the side of the head by sparks from a close-range sprinkler-style pyrotechnic effect.

Stella said he understood the incident involved the pyrotechnics rather than the bottle, adding that Norris seemed surprised when he went for the bottle. He said the only thing he needed to know was that Norris was okay. Stella also addressed McLaren's race pace, pointing to very cold conditions, colder than in practice, as a key factor in keeping the tyres within their working range in the dry.

Stella said the team still needed to become more consistent over long runs in hot conditions. He added that as the track became greasy before the switch to intermediate tyres, Norris was able to keep his lap times well ahead of the others, which Stella said showed the car was good in that respect.