Every sport has its iconic celebration moments, and Formula 1 is no exception. At the end of each F1 race, the winners celebrate with a champagne spray on the podium. Lando Norris has made the podium his own with a signature move that fans around the world now know as the “champagne spike” or “the Lando spike”.
What is the Lando Spike
The “Lando spike,” is Norris’ signature way of opening the champagne bottle before the spray. Instead of shaking the bottle and spraying it the conventional way, Norris smashes the base of the bottle hard against the podium step, causing the champagne to bubble up and shoot explosively out of the top, creating a picture-perfect geyser of fizz.
How Does the Champagne Pop Work
The impact sends a shockwave through the liquid, supercharging the carbonation and forcing it upward in a sudden, concentrated burst rather than the slow fizz of a shaken bottle. The result is a far more dramatic visual of a geyser of champagne spewing out. A spectacle all fans can look forward to seeing when Norris is on the podium.
One critical detail for a successful champagne pop: the bottle.
“The trick here is to not smash it. And the trick to that is by having a very, very thick, strong bottle. So, prosecco bottles, don’t do it. They’re not worth it. Prosecco is normally a very light, thin bottle, so you’ll just smash it and cut your hand open.” He added with a grin: “So, this is dangerous. This is dangerous, dangerous stuff.” (Motorsport)
This isn’t just a theoretical warning. In 2020, Moto3 rider Celestino Vietti tried to pull off the same move on the podium, except MotoGP podiums use prosecco bottles rather than champagne magnums. The top of the bottle broke clean off and sliced Vietti’s hand open, requiring five or six stitches.
When Norris was asked about the incident, he pointed squarely at the bottle: “The only thing I saw was that they have prosecco bottles in MotoGP, so I don’t know if that made a difference. I don’t know if the pressure on the bottle caused it to smash, That’s the only thing I can blame it on. I have never broken a bottle in all the times I’ve done it, and I’ve done some fairly aggressive ones.” (Motorsport)
The difference comes down to glass thickness and internal pressure tolerance. A proper champagne magnum (the large-format bottle used on F1 podiums) is engineered to withstand significant force. The thick base is what makes the spike possible: it absorbs the impact without shattering, while transmitting just enough energy into the liquid to trigger that explosive release at the top. A standard prosecco bottle simply isn’t built for it.
It’s a reminder that while Lando’s champagne pop looks like pure instinctive celebration, it is actually a move with real craft and real consequences if you get it wrong.
When Lando Started the Iconic Champagne Pop
The champagne spike didn’t arrive overnight. Norris has used the celebration throughout his racing career even in his F2 days. It was likely in the 2023 season, a breakout year in which he accumulated seven podiums, that truly embedded the move in the sport’s cultural consciousness.
The moment that first went truly viral was at the 2023 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where a record 480,000 fans attended across the weekend. Norris finished second on home soil (the first McLaren driver to finish on the podium at Silverstone since Lewis Hamilton in 2010) and his explosive celebration in front of the home crowd was the cherry on top of an unforgettable afternoon. McLaren themselves labelled it “the Lando Champagne Spike” on social media, and it seems like the name stuck.
The Most Infamous Spike: Hungary 2023
Unfortunately, not every spike has gone to plan. The most memorable near-disaster came at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris finished second and his celebratory champagne pop caused Max Verstappen’s trophy to fall off the top step. The trophy was a handcrafted Herend porcelain piece worth $45,000 (and took 6 months to make!) that shattered upon hitting the ground.
The incident quickly became a viral moment, with fans and commentators sharing the clip across social media. Norris’s reaction was one of genuine surprise, as was Verstappen’s, who took the mishap in stride with a good-natured laugh.
Norris was quick to apologise: “I obviously had no intention of ever doing such a thing. I know how much it means to the Hungarians and is part of their culture.” He and Verstappen returned to Hungary the following month to collect the repaired trophy, with Verstappen joking that “Lando is not allowed to touch it.” Norris then went a step further, he returned to the Herend factory a year later and wore a special helmet at the 2024 Hungarian GP designed in collaboration with Herend Porcelain, the makers of the trophy.
The Celebration as a Symbol
Norris has celebrated on the Formula 1 podium 46 times and on the top step 11 times over his career (as of 2026). Every single time, fans anticipate to see if he’ll do his signature spike. It has become more than a celebration, it’s a personality statement.
The broken trophy moment became part of Formula 1 folklore, adding to the narrative of Norris as not just a talented driver but a personality who brings fun and light-heartedness to the sport. And now, as a World Champion with the ultimate prize secured, the spike carries the weight of a celebration that was years in the making.
Our Lando Norris Champagne Pop enamel pin is a tribute to the celebration that’s become as iconic as the man himself. Small enough to pin to your jacket, bag, or lanyard. Loud enough that every F1 fan will know exactly what it means.
Next time you watch Lando climb to the top step, keep your eye on the bottle. The spike is coming.