Getting back to the team

When the race winner returns to the pits, he is always treated to a hero’s welcome. The team has often cracked open a few bottles of champagne (for drinking this time, not spraying) and will be patting each other on the back when the driver returns.
Still in his sweat- and champagne-soaked overalls, the driver shakes hands with all his mechanics and team members and gives a congratulatory speech in which he thanks everyone for their hard work. Then he rushes back to his motorhome to have a shower and change into casual clothes before a final sit down with his team to run through how the race went. This post-race debrief is important because it is the final chance the team has to discuss and analyse exactly how they won that day – so that they can do it again and again. Some of these debriefs can actually go on longer than the races themselves!
Finally, when the debrief is finished, the driver is free to do what he wants to do. If he’s flying out of the country early, he may make a dash for the airport, or he may choose to sit around with the team and join in the post-race party. There are also usually more interviews with the media and hundreds of autograph hunters waiting for him outside the motorhome because he has suddenly become the most in-demand man to meet at the track.