Lando Norris refused to stop drinking Coca-Cola in the cooldown room after the Spanish Grand Prix and fired back at an official who told him off. The reigning world champion finished third behind race winner Kimi Antonelli and runner-up Max Verstappen.
Norris was close to passing his Red Bull rival in the closing stages but couldn't get close enough to make a move stick. He would have been in contention for victory had it not been for an unfortunately-timed virtual safety car (VSC), which meant he was unable to make a cheap pit stop.
Cooldown room spat
Norris was leading comfortably from pole position when the VSC was called on lap 15. In a cruel twist of bad luck, he had already passed the pit entry, with Antonelli and Verstappen going on to make stops during the caution period.
After the chequered flag, the three podium finishers gathered in the cooldown room, where Norris became involved in a post-race spat with an off-screen official. He picked up a can of Coca-Cola and began to drink it before admitting to Antonelli: "I might get told off."
That is exactly what happened next, with an unseen official seemingly asking Norris to put the can down. The request didn't go down well with the McLaren driver, who firmly fired back: "I just did a race, so I'm allowed to drink what I would like. Thank you so much."
Sponsorship speculation
While the reason for the complaint from the official has not been revealed, it may have had something to do with sponsorship. Coca-Cola is not an official F1 sponsor, while rival drinks company Pepsi has been among the sport's brand partners since 2025.
The incident further riled up an already frustrated Norris, who suggested a change to the VSC rules in his post-race interview.
Norris calls for VSC rule change
He told Sky Sports: "I was just unlucky. I was the only one on the whole grid to not get a pit stop and lost 20 seconds. This was out of their [McLaren's] control, my control. It's a rule that shouldn't define a race.
"A race should be won by the guy who can put in the best performance. Maybe you take a risk by running long in a stint and maybe you get a safety car and things can help because you know that's one of the big factors.
"But for everyone to get a VSC pit stop and for me to not, it's just unfair, but it's happened in the past. Others have won from it, I've probably won from it in the past.
"I just don't think many people have lost a race win over it. It's frustrating. I don't feel that's the way you should lose."
