Lando Norris’ British Grand Prix celebrations momentarily turned sour on Sunday after a photographer slipped off the pit wall and accidentally struck the race winner in the face, leaving him wounded. The McLaren driver achieved his maiden home victory at Silverstone, pipping Oscar Piastri after the championship leader tasted a 10-second time penalty.
Norris was overjoyed after the race and wanted to share one of his career highlights with the masses of spectators present, with a record 500,000 said to have attended across the weekend. However, the British fan favourite had to rush inside after a painful-looking accident involving a photographer.
Following his post-race interviews and the podium ceremony, Norris rushed towards the pit wall to show off his gold trophy to thousands gathered on the grid.
The 25-year-old navigated his way through a sea of people in the pit lane, including photographers and interviewers, towards the fans on the other side of the wall.
But two individuals ahead of Norris, one donning a McLaren jacket and the other a photographer, lost their balance as the black drape they were holding onto slipped.
The latter fell backwards into Norris, accidentally hitting the race winner in the face and leaving him in visible discomfort.
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He immediately raised his hand to apologise and appeared to check on the McLaren superstar, who was bowing his head and holding his nose.
Norris then signalled to a security guard that his nose was in pain before making a U-turn away from the fans and into the garage.
As he was led inside, several concerned McLaren team members checked on his condition, and he later re-emerged with small bandages over a grazed nose.
Norris was all smiles as McLaren later celebrated their one-two finish with fans on the Silverstone stage.
He even did a ‘shoey’ with his Aussie team-mate, Piastri, which has become something of a tradition between the two friends and was first started in F1 by former McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo.
Norris’ British Grand Prix triumph was his fourth of the season, moving eight points behind Piastri at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings.
The 24-year-old leader also looked in higher spirits on the stage after being left seething with his costly 10-second penalty for “erratic braking” behind a safety car.
Despite the slight disruption near the pit wall, it will undoubtedly be a day that Norris will never forget.