How a burst bottle at Le Mans became F1's most iconic ritual

The tradition traces back to the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Henry Ford II requested a Moët & Chandon Jeroboam after three Ford cars led the race in its closing stages, breaking from the customary single bottle.

Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon became the first drivers to lift the oversized bottle on the podium.

The spray itself was born by accident later that same ceremony.

The Jeroboam presented to Jo Siffert and Colin Davis, winners of the 2-litre category, had been shaken too vigorously and burst open, sending champagne over the podium.

A year later, Dan Gurney turned the mishap into a deliberate gesture.

After winning the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside A.J. Foyt, he shook his bottle and sprayed the crowd on purpose, cementing what would become motorsport's most enduring celebration.

The ritual reached Formula 1 in 1969, when Sir Jackie Stewart performed it after winning the French Grand Prix, giving it a permanent home on the podium.

Drivers including Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris have since made the gesture part of their own victory celebrations.