The McLaren driver closed the loop on one of the best stories from the 2023 season in perfect fashion
Lando Norris has done it again.
The Formula 1 driver is one of several in the sport who shines both on the track, and off it when it comes to the theme helmet game. At the British Grand Prix two weeks ago, for example, Norris had five different helmets to create a GIF, when the five were viewed in quick succession.
However, his effort for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix might be the best yet.
A year ago in Hungary Norris captured his second podium finish in as many races. That result was the clearest sign yet that the McLaren turnaround was underway.
However, his exuberance during the podium celebration had a casualty. When Norris slammed his bottle of sparkling wine on Max Verstappen’s podium, it knocked the Red Bull driver’s first-place trophy off, sending it tumbling to the podium below. The handcrafted, porcelain trophy shattered as a result of the fall.
The story ended later in the season, when Verstappen and Norris traveled to Herend Porcelánmanufaktúra Zrt., the company that manufactured the trophy, to pick up a replacement. Norris was even handed an “invoice” for the new trophy.
Well, on Wednesday Norris was back at Herend, this time for a different reason.
Norris was joined at Herend on Wednesday by Dr. Atilla Simon, the company’s CEO. Noted F1 journalist Sándor Mészáros — who remains a must-follow all around the year — was on hand for event:
As you can see, there is a cloth covering something that looks quite like a helmet.
Later in the day, the helmet was revealed, along with “Porcelain Dreams,” a new collection marking the special theme helmet:
This is just a tremendous job all around, from the design to the unveiling, and a perfect way to close the loop on one of the most amusing stories from the 2023 Formula 1 season.
