Guenther Steiner labels Lando Norris's incident at the Coca-Cola Spanish GP as 'unprofessional'.

Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner has expressed his disapproval of Lando Norris's Coca-Cola moment in the cooldown room after the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, labeling the action as unprofessional for the McLaren driver.

After securing a third-place finish at the Madring circuit, Norris was spotted enjoying a Coca-Cola in the cooldown room. With rival beverage company PepsiCo having a partnership with F1, an official requested the 2025 champion to set the drink aside. He confidently replied: "I just did a race, so I'm permitted to drink whatever I like. Thank you very much."

This incident quickly ignited discussions online, with numerous fans commending Norris. However, Steiner contended during The Red Flags Podcast that such behavior was inappropriate.

"If you're a professional, you don't behave that way. That's the bottom line," the former team principal stated. "You understand what is acceptable and what is not. You're well trained. He should have refrained from doing it. Is it damaging that he did it? Will anyone be harmed? No. But as a professional, it’s not something you should do. Yet he did it. And honestly, I couldn’t care less."

Lando Norris, McLaren

Steiner further commented when asked if this was related to Pepsi's association with F1: "Everything is categorized. They market it and clearly, if you don’t pay, you can’t have it. And he had a Coke. It wasn’t the wisest choice."

"But as I mentioned, I don’t care because now, for Coca-Cola, this turned out quite well. It was beneficial for [Coca-Cola]. If they hadn't made a fuss, no one would have even noticed, but now that it has become such a topic, Coca-Cola is enjoying the attention."

Norris completed the race in third place after starting from pole and relinquishing the lead during a poorly timed virtual safety car. He is currently positioned fourth in the drivers' standings with 186 points, trailing championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 106 points.