David Coulthard came to the defense of Lando Norris, following the controversy involving the McLaren driver and a can of Coca-Cola after the Spanish Grand Prix in Formula 1. For the former driver of the category, Norris had the right to decide for himself what to drink after the race.
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The controversy arose after Norris was criticized for not following guidance to avoid consuming a can of Coca-Cola, which is a McLaren sponsor, in the pre-podium drivers’ room, an F1 environment that is sponsored by Pepsi. Coulthard, however, considered that the Briton had already fulfilled his obligation by competing and should not be excessively controlled off the track.
“Congratulations to Lando for standing firm. I only saw the comments about someone trying to tell him not to drink a certain type of beverage in a certain environment, and he replied: ‘Hey, mate, I just raced a GP. I’m going to do what I want’,” said Coulthard on the Up To Speed podcast.
The former driver also highlighted the wear caused by a race weekend and assessed that Norris, like all drivers, has the right to make his own choices: “Congratulations to Lando, because you know what? He earned the right to eat the chocolate bar or drink the soda, whatever it is,” he added.
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Coulthard’s position contrasts directly with that of Guenther Steiner, former Haas boss, who described Norris’s attitude as ‘unprofessional’. On The Red Flags podcast, the former team principal stated that a professional should respect the instructions received, although he acknowledged that the episode did not pose a risk of someone getting hurt.
“If you’re a professional, you don’t do that. End of story. You know what you can and cannot do. You’re well trained. Lando shouldn’t have done that,” Steiner concluded.
