- Lando Norris became the first home winner of the British Grand Prix since 2008
- Norris suffered a cut nose in a freak collision during his trophy celebrations
- He could face a £4,200 fine after swearing during an emotional TV interview
Lando Norris‘ emotional British Grand Prix triumph ended with a cut to the nose and the threat of a fine after a freak incident marred his celebrations at Silverstone.
The 25-year-old McLaren star claimed his first-ever home win on Sunday, becoming the first British driver to take victory at the race since Lewis Hamilton in 2008. But as Norris carried the famous RAC trophy to celebrate with fans, a man in dark clothing and a bright pink baseball cap, who appeared to be holding a camera, fell backwards off the pit wall and crashed into him, pushing Norris into another photographer’s lens.
Footage circulating on social media shows Norris stumbling backwards from the impact, appearing to hit his face on the camera before clutching his nose in pain. He was later seen being escorted away by McLaren staff but was able to smile and wave to fans, with the team confirming he had suffered only a small cut.
The incident took the edge off a landmark day for Norris, who was reduced to tears after winning a chaotic, rain-hit race ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg. The victory cuts Piastri’s championship lead to just eight points after 12 rounds.
During his post-race interview, Norris was overcome with emotion and accidentally swore live on television as he described the pressure of the final laps.
‘Your mind just goes pretty blank. Everything you might think before the race, you forget. The main thing is just don’t f*** it up, that’s rule number one.’
Lando Norris suffered a cut to his nose while celebrating his win at Sunday’s British Grand Prix
Norris could be fined after swearing in an interview following his home victory at Silverstone
Host Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, quickly apologised, with Norris adding: ‘Sorry from me as well.’
The slip could now see Norris fined £4,200 under the FIA’s new ‘swearing ban,’ which was made a permanent rule this season despite opposition from drivers. Last year, Max Verstappen was fined £33,000 for swearing during a press conference, while rally driver Adrien Fourmaux was fined €10,000 (£8,300) earlier this year under the updated regulations, later reduced to €5,000 (£4,200).
Despite the cut and the looming fine, Norris was able to soak in the moment as he lifted the RAC trophy alongside a Lego trophy made of 2,717 bricks, marking McLaren’s first British Grand Prix win in 17 years.
‘This is where it all started for me, and now thankfully I’ve been able to have my go,’ Norris said. ‘The support from the fans made the difference today, so I’ve got to thank them for it all.’
‘The last few laps I was just looking into the crowd. I was just trying to take it all in, enjoy the moment, because it might never happen again. I hope it does. But these are memories that I’ll bring with me forever.’
