Lando Norris was hit in face by McLaren team-mate on British GP track before getting axed

Formula One may be one of the most perilous sports globally, but Lando Norris' most significant knock to the head came in a different sort of race. The Bristol-born driver is tipped as a favourite to triumph at Silverstone in the British Grand Prix this weekend.

He has been on the brink of victory twice, securing second place in 2023 and third in 2024. Last year's GP was a challenging weekend for Norris, as his tyre choice saw him fall behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. However, the 2022 GP was also notable as his head was nearly knocked off by former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo hurling a space hopper at his face. The Aussie's aim was spot on, hitting the Brit square on the nose.

Ricciardo and Norris were having a fun space hopper race against each other on Silverstone's home straight three years ago, with fans eagerly watching on. The bouncy GP didn't start well for the Brit, as he quickly slipped off and fell backwards.

He had a lot of catching up to do with his Australian competitor, who seemed set to bounce over the finish line. Norris resorted to a bit of gamesmanship by picking up the space hopper and running past the Honey Badger.

In a hilarious turn of events during a playful moment, Norris was about to overtake Ricciardo when the Aussie unexpectedly hurled a space hopper directly at his face from close quarters. Realising he might have gone too far, Ricciardo immediately checked on Norris, who seemed to be in discomfort, shouting, "I can't see".

Trying to suppress his chuckles, Ricciardo admitted: "You know when you do something and you realise you probably shouldn't have done it? It was too late." Despite the mishap, Norris managed to laugh it off. Back then, Ricciardo was seen as McLaren's leading driver with Norris as the rising star expected to challenge him.

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Yet, Norris outshone Ricciardo, finishing 7th with 122 points, leaving Ricciardo trailing in 11th place with a mere 37 points. In a shocking move, McLaren axed Ricciardo in August 2022, opting to cut his contract short by a year as he was brutally axed.

McLaren filled the void left by Ricciardo with Oscar Piastri, who was then Alpine's reserve driver. The fortunes of Norris and Piastri have taken a dramatic turn this season.

The team-mates are now battling it out at the top of the F1 leaderboard, with Piastri holding a slender 15-point advantage over Norris. The focus is set to be on the McLaren pair as they head into the upcoming race at Silverstone.

Following his exit, Ricciardo was re-hired by Red Bull as a third driver in November 2022. He was later promoted to a race seat in their secondary team, replacing Nick de Vries in July 2023.

However, after failing to outshine Yuki Tsunoda, Ricciardo was replaced by Liam Lawson in September 2024. Although he hasn't declared his retirement, Ricciardo is currently on a break from F1, with no team signing him for the 2025 season.