Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has pointed fingers at McLaren’s Lando Norris for shattering Max Verstappen’s Hungarian Grand Prix victory trophy.
The unfortunate incident occurred when Verstappen placed his trophy on the podium’s top step to celebrate his win, and Norris accidentally knocked it over while spraying champagne after finishing in second place.
The porcelain trophy, valued at approximately €60,000, broke into pieces on impact.
Discussing the mishap on the F1 Nation podcast following Red Bull’s record-breaking 12th consecutive Grand Prix victory, Horner humorously attributed the blame to Norris.
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He jokingly stated that McLaren should foot the bill for the trophy’s repair, given that Norris was the one responsible for the accident.
Norris had also accidentally knocked over Verstappen’s trophy at Silverstone two weeks earlier, but that trophy remained intact as it was made from metal.
“I think it was firmly Lando’s fault that knocked it over apparently,” he said.
“I’ve just heard it’s about 60,000 euros worth of damage that he’s done. And six months [to make] so, obviously, I said ‘send them the bill’, it’s only fair, he knocked it over!”
“I’m starting to think it’s something personal now!” Horner added.
Fortunately for McLaren and Norris, they won’t have to bear the cost of the damaged trophy.
Herendi Porcelain, the makers of the trophy, have committed to creating a replacement for Verstappen.
The company expressed regret over the damage to their handmade artwork, which took nearly six months and involved the efforts of over 30 people to craft.
Simon, a representative from Herendi Porcelain Manufactory, emphasised the company’s commitment to upholding their reputation in building the country’s image.
“It is with great regret that we learned yesterday that the beautiful Herendi trophy, a handmade work of art, was damaged,” Simon told M4 Sport.
“It is the result of nearly six months of work by more than 30 people and we were very sorry to see this happen to our artwork.
They consider the trophy’s replacement for the first-place winner a joyful and significant responsibility. Simon reassured that their work is lifetime guaranteed, and they will create a new trophy for Verstappen at no additional cost.
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“But we believe, and Herendi Porcelain Manufactory is a company that plays a key role in building the country’s image, that we will replace the trophy for the first place winner, and while the teams decide who was at fault and who was not, we will take on the joyful and heavy burden of this.”
The production of the frame body for the new trophy is already underway, and Verstappen may receive his replacement trophy by the end of 2023.
The process of creating the trophy from start to finish takes six months, and Herendi Porcelain’s dedication to craftsmanship ensures a high-quality and exquisite replacement.