At the Chinese Grand Prix, the entertainment goes beyond the on-track action, as the event organisers have recreated one of Charles Leclerc’s most iconic team radio exchanges to bring a smile to the faces of fans.
The Chinese GP weekend is not only about the battles taking place on the circuit. In Shanghai, the organisers have also decided to add a touch of humour for spectators with a playful reference to one of the most memorable team radio moments of recent years, turning it into a small but amusing detail inside the circuit. The star of the story is Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, whose radio exchange with his race engineer has already become part of recent Formula 1 history.
The team radio that became iconic
The reference dates back to the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, when during the race Charles Leclerc reported a rather unusual problem to his race engineer Bryan Bozzi over the team radio. “I have the seat full of water,” explained the Monegasque driver, trying to understand where the liquid inside the cockpit was coming from.
The response from the engineer, which arrived just a few seconds later, quickly went viral among Formula 1 fans:
“Must be the water.”
A comment that was as simple as it was unintentionally funny, prompting Charles Leclerc himself to joke about it shortly afterwards over the radio: “Let’s add that to the words of wisdom.”
From that moment on, the brief exchange became one of the most widely shared and quoted team radio moments among Formula 1 supporters, frequently resurfacing on social media platforms and appearing in compilations of the funniest moments from the F1 paddock.
In Shanghai the team radio becomes… a water dispenser
The organisers of the Chinese Grand Prix decided to pay tribute to that memorable moment with a particularly creative idea. Inside the public areas of the Shanghai circuit, several water dispensers have appeared featuring graphics that directly reference that famous team radio exchange.
On one of the dispensers the phrase “Must be the cold water” appears, while another displays the words “Must be the hot water”, clearly referencing the line spoken by the Ferrari engineer during the team radio conversation.
The result is a small but clever detail capable of raising a smile among the fans attending the event in Shanghai. Below is the video shared directly by the official Formula 1 account.
This lighthearted moment in Shanghai shows how 2026’s high-tech Formula 1 world still thrives on the human, often accidental, comedy provided by the drivers and their crews. While Charles Leclerc is currently focused on closing the one second gap to the dominant Mercedes W17, these “words of wisdom” printed on water stations provide a welcome distraction for the “Tifosi” and general spectators alike. It highlights the growing trend of race promoters embracing “meme culture” to enhance the fan experience, proving that even a technical glitch like a leaky seat can leave a lasting, positive legacy in the sport’s history.
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