Lando Norris has been brutally trolled by a Formula 1 rival, who cheekily reminded the driver of England’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
The Three Lions were unable to bring football home last Sunday, losing 2-1 to La Roja, with Norris and fellow Brit George Russell among the thousands of fans at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium cheering on Gareth Southgate’s side.
The McLaren star is now gearing up for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, but was in for a nasty surprise when he arrived at the Hungaroring on Thursday.
In a photo that’s gone viral on social media, a sign bearing Norris’ name in the paddock car park was vandalised, with someone cheekily writing ‘2-1, Viva Espana!!’ on it.
Speculation was rife as to the identity of this mystery prankster, with suspicion quickly turning to the two Spanish drivers on the grid: Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz.
Alonso was quick to point the finger at his fellow countryman, saying: ‘No, not me!’ when asked in the pre-race press conference if he was responsible.
‘There is another Spanish driver! So yeah, not me for sure.’
Multiple sources have since claimed that it was in fact Sainz’s manager Carlos Onoro who was behind the prank, with him and Norris presumably well-acquainted from Sainz’s two seasons at McLaren.
‘My second Euros that I’ve been to, but also a second loss as a country. So I mean a shame but was amazing to be there, I was still cheering on,’ the 24-year-old said of his experience in Berlin.
Last Sunday was a fantastic day for Spanish sport thanks to the Euros win and Carlos Alcarez’s Wimbledon triumph, with Alonso adding: ‘The whole country enjoyed for sure.
‘I mean, tennis, we had an incredible run with Rafa Nadal for many, many years. Two decades in the top spot and now with Carlos, so yeah, I think we are in good hands there.
‘He is very young, very talented. I think that the whole country is enjoying every time he plays.
‘And also in football, obviously, it’s only every four years, or every two years when there’s a World Cup. It was a good match on Sunday, really enjoyed.
‘I wanted to win this one because obviously when you come to the race weekend again and with all the mechanics and then everyone in the garage, it’s much better like this.’
But in F1, England are beating Spain currently, with Norris second in the championship on 171 points, ahead of Ferrari’s Sainz in fourth with 146, while Alonso is ninth on just 45 points.
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