ON Sunday evening (Oct 5), an elated PETRONAS head honcho Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik celebrated the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team’s success on the podium of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix and got drenched in champagne (just the shower ritual minus any sipping of the alcoholic bubbly).
Little did he realise that he could be subject to a fall-out from that bubbly spray which turned out to be long, loud and very shrill as the ultra-conservatives, especially within the opposition ranks, use it as proof of crumbling moral values under Madani watch.
Taufik has since apologised profusely for being overcome in emotion and enthusiasm at the team’s win that he participated in the traditional champagne shower without any second thought of religious constraint.
Reacting to those foaming at the mouth over this incident, lawyer and social activist Siti Kasim has shared a meme which highlights the ridiculous levels in which this issue has been blown up to.
Using an obviously doctored/AI-inspired image, the meme shows F1 drivers celebrating by ‘pulling’ Malaysians’ favourite teh tarik on the podium instead of the champagne shower ritual.
“Next time when PETRONAS or Malaysia is involved in any international event, this is what some characters want,” the Orang Asli advocate teasingly proclaimed.
The post has since generated 8.1K likes, 497 comments and 961 shares at time of writing, an indication that it tickled the funny bone of many commenters.
More than a few reacted with GIFs to underline the hilarity of the AI-generated image.
It was also noted that Malaysians seem preoccupied with such issues when other nations are focused on progress. “In the race to become Bottom 5 in Asia” seems to be Malaysia’s goal here, wryly observed this commenter.
One commenter sarcastically suggested that PETRONAS withdraws from participating in this “kafir” (infidel) event.
The sense of embarrassment that this is making headlines was palpable among the many comments. The lack of intellectual content associated with the nation is making the country a laughing stock was the insinuation here.
One commenter jokingly suggested that the state of Kelantan can be the main sponsors for the teh tarik should the idea ever come to fruition. The “tea” can be sourced direct from Kelantan tap water!
Other Malaysian faves such as “Ipoh white coffee, air ros syrup and coconut juice” should also be considered for the podium celebrations, suggested this parched observer.
There were those who did say that perhaps some give and take was in order. Why not just use non-alcoholic bubbly as they do in F1 races held in the Middle East?
There are a few things to note from this episode.
Firstly, given the meme was shared on Siti Kasim’s social media platform, it is expected that many agreed with her world view.
The ultra-conservatives should NOT expect others to conform to their moral code. If the issue is with the PETRONAS president and group CEO participating in such haram rituals, then by all means offer a viable solution – be it sending non-Muslim reps or as suggested pulling out of F1 altogether.
Secondly, there was a call for greater understanding by organisers of such events. After all, the champagne spray is pretty much symbolic, no harm in having the non-alcoholic variety. A bit of compromise can go a long way.
Last but not least, with this news alongside the national football players’ naturalisation fiasco dominating Malaysian sport, the country is fast gaining an unwanted reputation for making the wrong headlines. – Oct 10, 2025
Main image credit: Siti Kasim/Facebook
