Over time F1 fans have watched the live broadcast cut to the driver cooldown room after each grand prix to see the top three finishers debrief the race.
In 2023 it caused various memes online, as world champion Max Verstappen headed to the cooldown room for 21 of 22 grands prix. Fans joked that it was like the Red Bull driver had his own podcast with different guests – or drivers – on each week.
Other cooldown room moments have seen drivers hold heated exchanges after something happened in the race, so it is a great source of knowledge and entertainment for fans.
But what exactly is the cooldown room in F1 and which moments left fans talking about it for years to come?
What is the cooldown room in F1?
The F1 cooldown room is where the top three finishers head to from parc ferme as they wait for the podium ceremony to start. It is designed to help drivers calm down after a race and plays an essential role in the safety and well-being of those on the F1 grid.
That is because it is a climate-controlled area which allows drivers to lower their body temperatures after a race. The gruelling 2023 Qatar Grand Prix was the perfect example, as cockpit temperatures reached approximately 60C which caused Logan Sargeant to retire from heat exhaustion, for instance. It is something which affected every driver, so in the cooldown room Verstappen and Oscar Piastri both laid on the floor helping them to recover slightly.
There’re various other features of the cooldown room which help drivers to recover, like bottles of cold water to rehydrate, towels, cooling fans and chairs so people can sit down. It is also used as preparation for the podium, because there are tables which allow drivers to place their helmets and store other belongings before they put on a Pirelli cap that is given to first, second and third.
But the main thing fans look for when the feed cuts to the cooldown room is the conversation between the three drivers. Much of that conversation is centred around the television which has been added to the cooldown room in recent years, allowing drivers to react to key moments as race highlights are played on the screen.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Because of it, fans watched Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso react to the 2023 Canadian GP together, while the seven-time world champion was also caught controversially calling the Red…
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