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When the winner of the 2008 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix stands on the podium he will be spraying a fruity little number over his nearest rivals instead of a traditional F1 sparkling champagne ... and keeping some to sip himself!
The drivers cannot get enough of the sweet tantalising aromatic tipple and reckon the taste alone is worth winning the race for!
As soon as the kingdom became the home of motor sport in the Middle East in 2004 officials decided that alcohol and scantily-clad 'pit girls' would not be appreciated in an Islamic country with traditional values and customs.
"Shaking the champagne and spreading it on people, this is something I don't think people will accept," deputy speaker Adel Al Moawada was reported to have said at the time. "The organisers know how to run this event without contradicting the culture of the place they are in."
Bahrain International Circuit came up with a specially-brewed fruit drink made from locally-produced pomegranate mixed with rose water and carbonated water to give it the necessary fizz to ensure the drivers could celebrate in style without causing offence.
The drink, called Al Waard, is mixed in Bahrain and sent to South Africa for bottling and has proved a winner with the fastest men on the planet ever since. Both Michael Schumacher, who won in Bahrain in 2004, and Fernando Alonso who won the following year, agreed after showering themselves with the delicacy that they "loved the smell" and couldn't get enough of it.
According to both former champions the drink's smell reminded them of the 'true essence' of Bahrain and the desert.
Winner Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi RŠikkšnen all enjoyed a tipple last year after coming in first, second and third.
One leading driver added that the drink was a motivating factor when he competed at the Bahrian International Circuit. "You know you've really won once you've had a taste of Al Waard," he said.
Journalists who have been lucky enough to sample the drink say it is a "true taste of Bahrain's culture".
The spraying of non-alcoholic drinks does have a precedent. When the Williams team was sponsored by Saudi Airlines and other Arab sponsors in the late 1970s and early 1980s its drivers were asked to shake bottles of orange juice during their celebrations.
