Sky Sports F1 pundit Ted Kravitz drank beer from a fan's shoe live on TV as he tried out a popular local celebration at the Australian Grand Prix.
Kravitz was reporting live after the race, which had been won by Charles Leclerc who dominated the first grand prix held in Melbourne since before the coronavirus pandemic. The other big story of the day was another mechanical disaster for Max Verstappen, who failed to finish for the second time already this season.
One of the more bizarre moments of the day came after the racing action had concluded, as reporter Kravitz got in amongst the Albert Park crowd. He was there to talk about what it meant for fans to see Formula 1 return to their country, but ended up getting more than he bargained for.
In the middle of a sea of rowdy Aussies, Kravitz soon came under pressure to try a 'shoey'. The celebration, which involved drinking beer from a shoe, became popular in F1 circles thanks to Daniel Ricciardo who has often celebrated finishing on the podium in such a manner.
The McLaren ace famously repeated the trick when he won the Italian Grand Prix last year. That race at Monza was a brilliant one for his team as Lando Norris finished second, and the young Briton also gave the 'shoey' a try along with team boss Zak Brown.
Kravitz initially dismissed the request to get in on the act, but as more people chanted for him to do it he asked: "So who's shoe am I using then?" If he was joking, it wasn't taken like that as a nearby fan wearing a Celtic football shirt quickly whipped off his shoe and started pouring.
Once the trainer was filled with beer, it was handed to Kravitz who was red-faced but clearly not about to back out from the challenge. He accepted the boot and began to drink from it, much to the delight of those Aussies around him who roared their approval.
Once he had finished, he handed back the shoe and declared that the taste was "not too bad" but did say that it was " a bit gritty". As he tried to wrap up his segment the crowd began chanting for another, but they were left disappointed as the Sky cameras cut back to the main presenting team.
Kravitz later joked about his stunt, telling viewers that he did swallow the beer because of "force of habit".
