Champagne returns to F1 podium

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes celebrates with a bottle of champagne after winning the F1 Chinese Grand Prix on April 20, 2014
© AFP
Champagne returns to the Formula 1 podium, courtesy of Carbon Champagne.

Champagne has returned to the Formula 1 podium.

Last year, the sport's long-time sponsor Mumm left the sport, leaving drivers spraying bottles of fizzy Chandon on the podium instead.

However, McLaren sponsor Chandon actually makes sparkling chardonnay, ending F1's decades-long flirt with champagne.

The Washington Post reports that champagne is now back, with $3,000 (£2,300) bottles of 'Carbon' sprayed into the crowd by Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas in Hungary.

The newspaper reports that every bottle that will be sprayed on the podium from now on "is coated in the same carbon fibre that F1 cars are made of".

"For me, this has great symmetry with Formula 1," said Carbon Champagne boss Alexandre Mea.

F1's champagne history dates back to 1950, when after a grand prix in the Champagne region of France, a large bottle was presented to the winner, but it was not until 1966 when, at Le Mans, Jo Siffert's accidentally shaken bottle was inadvertently sprayed into the crowd, starting the tradition.

Pascal Wehrlein of Germany and Manor poses for a portrait during day one of F1 winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya on March 1, 2016
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TeamPoints
1Mercedes357
2Ferrari318
3Red Bull184
4Force India101
5Williams-Mercedes41
6Toro Rosso39
7Haas29
8Renault26
9McLaren11
10Sauber5
DriversTeamPoints
1Sebastian VettelFerrari202
2Lewis HamiltonMercedes188
3Valtteri BottasMercedes169
4Daniel RicciardoRed Bull117
5Kimi RaikkonenFerrari116
6Max VerstappenRed Bull67
7Sergio PerezForce India56
8Esteban OconForce India45
9Carlos SainzToro Rosso35
10Nico HulkenbergRenault26
11Felipe MassaWilliams-Mercedes23
12Lance StrollWilliams-Mercedes18
13Romain GrosjeanHaas18
14Kevin MagnussenHaas11
15Fernando AlonsoMcLaren10
16Pascal WehrleinSauber5
17Daniil KvyatToro Rosso4
18Stoffel VandoorneMcLaren1
19Marcus EricssonSauber0
20Jolyon PalmerRenault0
21Antonio GiovinazziSauber0
22Jenson ButtonMcLaren0
23Paul di RestaWilliams-Mercedes0