Why F1 drivers couldn’t stop laughing during national anthem

F1 drivers were left in hysterics during the national anthem before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Before every grand prix, the 20 F1 drivers line up at the front of the grid to observe and pay respect to the host country’s national anthem.

But ahead of the race in Baku, drivers including Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were seen struggling to contain their laughter as the camera panned during the Azerbaijani nation anthem.

It has now been revealed that this was due to some very enthusiastic singing from the grid kids, and in particular, the young boy stood in front of Norris who was proudly belting his lungs out.

While it was not immediately clear at the time what the drivers had found so amusing, footage shared on social media quickly shed light on the situation.

As always, fans wasted no time picking up on the sweet and amusing moment.

"For everyone wondering why most drivers were laughing during the anthem... It's bc Lando's grid kid was belting his lungs out,” one fan wrote on social media.

"Across from George and Lando, Kimi and Carlos spotted the kid as well."

Another tweeted: "One look between George and Lando and they would have been floored.”

One wrote: "George is gonna cry.”

Lewis Hamilton filmed amusing moment

Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were also seen chuckling, with seven-time world champion Hamilton even getting his phone out to record.

Kimi Antonelli had to put his head down to stop himself completely losing it as he struggled to keep back the laughter as the camera picked him up. 

Piastri and Norris were not laughing come the end of the race, however, as world championship leader Piastri crashed out on a disastrous opening lap that saw the Australian also jump the start.

It proved to be a nightmare and uncharacteristically error-strewn weekend for Piastri, who also crashed out of qualifying.

Thankfully for Piastri, Norris could not fully capitalise as he struggled to seventh and could only gain six points on his teammate and main championship rival.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed a dominant victory - his second in a row - to keep the pressure on the McLaren duo heading into the final seven races of the season.

Russell came home second while Carlos Sainz - who was also seen smiling at the singing kids - secured his first podium for Williams with a stunning drive to third.