Racing Bulls expresses regret after team member caught booing Lando Norris during Brazilian GP podium celebrations

Racing Bulls has issued a statement about a team member's unsportsmanlike conduct during the Brazilian Grand Prix podium celebrations. An RB team employee was caught stirring up the fans to boo Lando Norris as he was being presented with the race winner's trophy.

The employee was recording the fans' reaction on his phone, and at the same time, making a thumbs-down gesture with his other hand. An RB co-worker who was standing beside him and recording the trophy presentation on the podium pulled his hand down.

He laughed it off, but his gesture was recorded by a fan, who shared the video on social media, and it subsequently went viral. You can take a look at the video below:

On Wednesday, Racing Bulls shared an apologetic message on X, writing:

"We’re aware of the video from the weekend’s podium. It doesn’t reflect our team’s values or the spirit of VCARB. The matter has been handled internally. We believe in celebrating great racing and showing respect to every driver, team, and fan both on and off the track."

Lando Norris dominated the Brazilian GP weekend, securing pole for the 24-lap Sprint Race and the 71-lap feature race, and winning both events with ease. But Max Verstappen stole a majority of the limelight with a sensational drive. The Dutchman started the race from the pit lane in P19 and gained 16 positions to finish on the podium in P3.

Norris has been on the receiving end of boos in recent race weekends, seemingly because F1 fans feel McLaren is giving him preference over Oscar Piastri with its 'Papaya Rules'. The Briton's post-qualifying interview at the Mexico GP was drowned in boos by the fans at the circuit.

What Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar said after Racing Bulls' stellar Brazilian GP performance

The Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar at the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Racing Bulls had a standout race weekend in Brazil. Both its drivers, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, finished in the points after making it to Q3 in qualifying. Hadjar secured P5 on the grid, while Lawson was no further behind than P7.

In the race, Lawson pulled off an unbelievable one-stop strategy, going 57 laps on his second stint to finish where he started in P7, while teammate Hadjar fell back to P8. Nonetheless, it was a double points-scoring weekend for the Red Bull junior team.

"Very happy, it’s been a great weekend," said Lawson (via F1.com). "A very hard race, honestly, but we had to make something work after the first couple of stops. It’s always tough when you’re the second car because obviously, the first car gets priority, and I lost a couple of spots on the first stop and would have lost more on the second one. So we went for the one stop, and it just worked."

Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar, who dropped three positions but earned points for Racing Bulls in the constructors' championship, had bittersweet emotions.

"Starting fifth and finishing eighth, definitely is a bad result," said Hadjar. "Still a good amount of points for the team, but I was sleeping on the first stint, really. Then, after that, the rest was good, but a costly mistake."

Racing Bulls is sixth in the constructors' championship with 82 points, trailing fifth-placed Williams by 29 points. Aston Martin, with 72 points, and Haas, with 70 points, remain engaged in the three-way battle.

Edited by Yash Kotak