Revived Cooldown Room Reveals Hilarious ‘Flying’ Leclerc Claim Following Costly F1 Spin at Imola

Cooldown rooms! One of the most painful riddance that F1 had to make amid rising COVID-19 cases around the world in the early 2020s. Then followed two years of watching the top-three-finishing drivers getting interviewed in the parc ferme before being guided straight onto the podium for the ultimate celebration.

And of course, the entire racing fraternity missed cooldown rooms in 2021 as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen caught themselves in the midst of arguably the most diabolical rivalries of all time.

Formula One F1 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – April 24, 2022 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc after the race REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini

Of all races, we most certainly needed a cooldown room session following the race in Abu Dhabi last year where Verstappen stole the championship title from the then-defending champion on the very final lap. However, in the end, all the fans got to see was a mere half-hearted handshake between the pair on the podium before they went about minding their own business.

Well, months after the controversy-ridden Abu Dhabi GP, to cheer the frowning fans up a bit, F1 had a surprise gift at the 2022 Imola GP – Cooldown officially made its return to Formula 1 after two years.

Max Verstappen & co discuss Charles Leclerc late F1 heartbreak

The podium-finishers of Imola GP had a lot to discuss in the cooldown room. There was a moment where Lando Norris went searching for a water bottle before Verstappen pointed the way for the Briton. But, after the trio settled down a bit, the big screen alongside them showed a replay of Charles Leclerc‘s incident during the race.

Then began the discussions – Sergio Perez immediately reckoned that Leclerc was constantly on the limit while driving over the curbs. He even went on the say, “He (Leclerc) was fast, so bloody fast through the chicane.” Furthermore, the Mexican admitted that Leclerc hit the curbs around ‘thrice’ before getting unlucky the fourth time.

“I saw him flying. That was the last thing I saw of him,” Perez added before Verstappen and Norris jumped into the conversation. The Dutchman questioned Norris, “He lost his wing?”

Subsequently, the McLaren driver replied, “Yeah…”

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Rightfully so, even the commentators, David Croft, Martin Brundle, and Nico Rosberg, chose to remain silent as the three drivers engaged in an interesting conversation. Hence, that paved a clearer way for the viewers to eavesdrop on the conversation as well.

Overall, the comeback of the cooldown room is certainly a huge sigh of relief. So, will the upcoming races manage to add a bit of spice to it?

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