Lando Norris issues update after scary incident on Brazilian GP podium and explains what happened

Lando Norris has moved to reassure fans after the McLaren driver accidentally walked into a live sparkler during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix podium celebrations.

Norris won the Grand Prix, which was ran in changeable conditions, ahead of the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. But after receiving his champagne bottle, he jumped off the top step of the podium and smashed the bottle against the ground - causing it to smash into pieces.

Still holding the top part of the bottle, Norris stumbled backwards and caught his ear underneath a sparkler, causing him to grab his ear in apparent pain as Verstappen and Hadjar celebrated.

Now, he has issued an update on the matter, stating that his ear is 'fine' and that there is no damage.

Lando Norris issues update over Brazil GP sparkler incident

During a live stream on Monday evening, Norris replied to a question from a viewer about the condition of his ear.

"How's my ear? My ear is fine, thanks for asking," he said. "The problem is, everyone's like, 'Why did you walk into it?' It's because I got sprayed with champagne in my eyes [from the broken bottle], then I couldn't see anything. I couldn't see where I was going.

"I didn't think people realise how much it hurts and stings having champagne in your eyes. I didn't know where I was moving and, all of sudden, it just gets pretty warm on my ear. It felt pretty warm.

"I couldn't see it, so I just felt it there. I was already in shock that my bottle broke, for the first time in my life. But it didn't hurt. I just felt something on my ear - I thought it was a fly.

"It didn't hurt. I'm hard as nails! I hit my bottle, I then had a little moment where I was like, 'Oh my God, my hand is gone'."

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Lando Norris wins third Grand Prix of the 2026 season

Fortunately, the sparkler incident didn't detract from what was a near-perfect weekend for Norris - his third victory of the 2026 season.

The only minor blot on his copybook during the race was that he failed to hold on to the lead of the race on lap one, having secured pole position.

But he moved back into first place after new world champion Kimi Antonelli, who was reporting suspension issues, span off the circuit at turn one following the first set of pit stops.

Throughout the rest of the race, Norris never looked likely to be caught for the lead, with even a heavy downpour in the closing laps, which required all drivers to switch from dry tyres to intermediates, causing him any problems.

And while the Englishman has already given up his title of reigning champion to Antonelli, the performance of the McLaren during the early stages of the season meant Norris was never in championship contention - in a not too dissimilar way to how Lewis Hamilton unsucessfully defended his 2008 crown.

Like Hamilton that year, mid-season upgrades have propelled McLaren to regular challengers at the front of the field again, though the level of consistency from track to track hasn't always been there.

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Norris, though, has barely put a foot wrong throughout 2026 and reflected positively on his third race victory of the season in Interlagos.

Speaking to F1TV pundit and former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe post-race, Norris said: "It was a very tough race. Very, very tough. Obviously, not the best of launches off the line, but a lot of challenges today, obviously with the conditions.

"The main thing today was I just kept it cool, I didn't make any mistakes, and I had the pace when I needed to. So it was good. Nice to be back on the top step, and what a place to do it as well.

"I think this weekend we had an opportunity to get pole, and we had an opportunity to win. And I feel like most times this year, when there's been an opportunity, I went for it and we've been able to achieve. I have to say a big thanks to the team because they're still working very hard, and it's annoying when you can't give them a good result back like the last few weeks. But certainly, this weekend, I feel like we've been able to give something back to them and give them a little bit of reward for their hard work."