Lando Norris and His Coca-Cola: The World Champion is Showing Character

Lando Norris is recently showing some character, and why shouldn't he? He's the reigning World Champion.

The McLaren driver delivered a statement in qualifying on Saturday, taking the inaugural pole position at the Circuito de Madring by just 0.011 seconds over championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Norris was ecstatic about that lap, with one of the F1 broadcast commentators saying that it was a "champion lap" for the British racer.

But the real test came on Sunday, and it looked early on that he was going to pass it.

Norris got off to an excellent start in the race, built a lead of more than six seconds, and put himself in position to secure his third Grand Prix victory of the season. But an untimely Virtual Safety Car was triggered on Lap 15, just when he has passed the pit entry. 

Norris had to continue around the circuit, while the likes of Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen boxed under VSC conditions. By the time he made his own stop, the VSC was gone and he also had to endure a slow pit stop from the McLaren crew.

Still, the reigning champ regained his form, battling through the pack to finish on the podium.

While on the cooldown room with Antonelli and Verstappen, Norris was relaxing and sipping his can of Coca-Cola when an official requested him to put it away. Apparently, there were concerns about the drink's branding, as Coca-Cola is not an official F1 partner.

But Norris wouldn't part with his drink. Here was his response:

"I just did a race, so I'm allowed to drink what I would like. Thank you so much."

We love the Norris we're seeing this season. The happy-go-lucky, mischievous-looking young driver is still there, but when the going gets tough, he can be as serious and blunt as he can.

His back-to-back victories in Hungary and Zandvoort were exceptional, and it seemed like he's getting more and more calculated with his drive.

Plus, don't forget that Norris currently has a 66-point lead over his teammate Oscar Piastri. There were criticisms early last year that Norris can't keep up with his Australian teammate, but those doubts are surely gone now.

If McLaren can give him a better car in 2027, Norris can definitely fight for the championship again.

Oh, and a sponsorship from Coca-Cola might also be waiting around the corner for the reigning champ.