As with any Formula 1 season, 2022 brought a number of new things to the paddock.
The headline change was, of course, the new car design, bringing ground-effect aerodynamics back into the sport after a long absence. Of course, that led to the "porposing" phenomenon which plagued teams – some more than others – in the first half of the season in particular.
A record-breaking season calendar saw the Australian Grand Prix return for the first time since the pandemic. And F1 travelled to Miami for the first time for a debut race in the Floridian city which will be remembered for – mostly – the fake marina which sparked plenty of memes on social media.
Also making a return to F1 this year was TV camera access to the cool down room. Viewers were treated to a look at what gets said and done as the top three drivers chat while waiting to take their places on the podium at the end of a race.
It provided some memorable moments, including Lewis Hamilton taking the name of the room rather literally and some insightful analysis of key in-race moments. Mirror Sport has revisited some of the best moments from this season.
Hamilton hits the floor
It was swelteringly hot at Paul Ricard on the French Grand Prix weekend, making it a particularly gruelling race for the drivers. Hamilton made it clear just how draining it had been as he laid down on the floor as the TV coverage switched to the cool down room.
The Brit revealed in a post-race interview that he did not have access to his drinking bottle and so he was dehydrated much more than usual. "I think I'm going to just..." began Hamilton as he entered the room, before deciding not to finish that sentence and instead lie down on the floor as team-mate George Russell chuckled.
Leclerc's Imola spin dissected
Lando Norris was the only driver not racing for one of the top three teams to finish on a podium in 2022 – an admirable achievement. And it was his presence in the cool down room after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix which contributed to a fascinating conversation as he, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were shown a clip of Charles Leclerc making a mistake during the race.
"Look how fast he was, man," Perez began before Norris added: "He takes so much kerb, I couldn't... I was taking no kerb in the end." Perez responded by asking: "He managed to continue, no?" after which Verstappen pointed out: "He boxed. Look, the front wing is a bit damaged." Norris rounded off the exchange with a joke: "[Leclerc] should have continued like that – he probably would have still been quicker than me."
Verstappen the (clueless) champion
The Dutchman's second world title was confirmed with his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix – not that he knew it at first. Because heavy rain had shortened the race, he was apparently under the false impression that only a percentage of the points would be awarded, meaning he hadn't quite yet done enough to make it mathematically impossible for him to be caught at the top of the standings.
He was sat in the cool down room for a few seconds in silence, with "2022 World Champion" written on the wall behind him. Verstappen then got up and said: "I feel a bit lonely," as he was the only one in the room. He then went outside where he was greeted by Jenson Button who congratulated him on winning the title, which helped to confirm to him that he had actually been crowned champion.
Did Hamilton blank Verstappen?
Leclerc's third and final win of the year came in Austria, with Verstappen second and Hamilton third. The Dutchman was already sat down in the cool down room when the Mercedes man walked in, put his helmet down and, having said nothing at all, walked back out.
There had been a bit of needle between them in the build up to that race weekend. Hamilton had gone out of the way to praise Leclerc's "sensible" driving a week earlier in what was an obvious dig at his 2021 rival. Verstappen couldn't resist snapping back, telling reporters sarcastically: "I think it's great that, when you're 37 years old, at some point you understand how to get to an apex."
Sainz jokes with Verstappen
Verstappen was a regular visitor to the cool down room, so dominant he was throughout the 2022 season. In Belgium he won ahead of team-mate Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and was watching some highlights with the latter as they waited for the podium ceremony.
One of the clips showed the Dutchman coming round the last corner on the final lap to take the chequered flag. Both of them laughed as they watched Verstappen momentarily lose the rear end of his car before regaining control. Sainz turned to the two Red Bull racers and quipped: "I was like that, but every lap."
Vettel's F1 return discussed
With the championships already decided long before, the main story heading into the final race weekend was the impending retirement of Sebastian Vettel. He waved goodbye to the fans at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after which Verstappen, Perez and Leclerc discussed the prospect of the German returning to F1 in the future.
"It didn’t feel like a goodbye to Seb. No? It didn’t feel like a goodbye. I get the feeling he will come back," said Perez after an initial chat about how the race had panned out. Leclerc wasn't so sure, though, as he replied: "I don't think he will come back." Only time will tell which of them was correct.
