PETRONAS president and group CEO Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik drew mixed reactions from netizens after participating in a champagne shower on the F1 podium to celebrate a victory.
The incident occurred at the recent Formula One Singapore Grand Prix when champagne was presented to three drivers at the podium who spray it around.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver George Russell won the race and as the team’s title sponsor, Taufik represented Petronas in receiving the trophy.
He was seen on the podium spraying and being sprayed with champagne alongside the winning team.
PAS information chief Fadhli Shaari took exception to this and questioned how a senior member of Petronas management who is a Muslim be involved in this controversial shower celebration.
“Even if the bubbly was of the non-alcoholic variety, it’s best to not to get involved in such celebrations as the common perception is that such podium revelry is often associated with intoxicating booze," he said in Facebook.
While some joined Pas in condemning the action, there were those who took it a step further by blaming DAP for a perceived crumbling of moral values.
Some netizens even called for Taufik to be fired or step down for allegedly bringing disrepute to the nation and Petronas.
However, there were a handful who reminded the others that it was a non-issue.
"He is not consuming the alcohol and alcohol is something even found in perfume," said one netizen.
Another pointed out that in Formula 1, the champagne spray has been a long-standing tradition used to celebrate the top three finishers.
"He is not consuming it, so there is no issue." - October 7, 2025
