Thailand Grand Prix Open

The podium finishers of the inaugural Formula E race in India on Saturday will not get to 'pop the champagne', a decades old tradition in motorsport, as part of the victory celebrations. Instead, they will have to make do with confetti cannons. Keeping the 'local customs' in mind, all stakeholders of the Hyderabad race promoters Greenko, Telangana government, Formula E and the series champagne sponsor Moet & Chandon have decided to not use the bubbly on the podium, PTI has learnt. The use of champagne on the podium dates back to the 1950s and 1960s. Spraying the sparkling wine on the podium has become synonymous with the widely followed Formula 1. Five-time Formula 1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio was awarded a bottle of Moet & Chandon at the 1950 French Grand Prix and he opened it on the podium. However, champagne was sprayed for the first time in 1966 when Jo Siffert would "accidentally" pop the cork on the crowd to celebrate his win in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. The ...

Praneeth defeated Indonesian fourth seed to win the final