Lando Norris was determined not to repeat past errors after his stellar victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he edged out team-mate Oscar Piastri. Before even ascending the podium steps, Norris had a clear intention in mind.

In line with current sponsorship deals, race winners are tasked with autographing a bottle of champagne and inscribing a personal note. Seizing the moment for a touch of humour, Norris penned: "Don't break the trophy!" This was a cheeky reminder to himself, harking back to an incident from the previous year's Budapest event.

In 2023, Norris, having secured second place, became the focal point of the podium celebrations when he inadvertently toppled Max Verstappen's winning trophy.

Come Sunday, Norris was vigilant to avoid a similar mishap. Following the national anthems and the presentation of trophies, he carefully positioned his porcelain award to one side of the podium before engaging in the traditional champagne spray.

His actions didn't escape the notice of eagle-eyed fans. One remarked on social media, "He moved it so far away!" while others observed that Norris took extra care to also move Piastri's trophy to safety before vigorously shaking his champagne bottle to celebrate.

The regrettable 2023 mishap was entirely unintentional, and Verstappen took it in stride, chuckling on the podium upon realising the blunder. Nonetheless, Norris expressed his apologies, perhaps cognisant of the extensive effort that went into crafting the trophy.

The Hungarian GP is known for its unique porcelain trophies, which are meticulously hand-painted by expert artisans. These exquisite pieces, produced by Herend, require about six months to complete and come with a hefty price tag of approximately £35,000.

"I do want to apologise for it, it was never my intention to do such a thing," Norris admitted later. "I know how much it means to the Hungarians and it is part of their culture and so forth. Of course, I want to enjoy my time but it was never my intention to do such a thing.

"I did apologise to Max, I did make a couple of jokes about it which maybe I should not have. I do feel bad, if he did it to my trophy I would feel annoyed. I do apologise for it, to the people who put the time and effort into making it, I really did not mean for it to happen and I will be a lot more careful next time."

True to his promise, on Sunday, Norris went above and beyond to ensure the podium remained free of any further porcelain casualties.