F1: Max Verstappen's girlfriend Kelly Piquet front and centre at title celebrations

Even though it came as a bit of a "surprise" when Max Verstappen found out that he is the 2022 Formula 1 Drivers' World Champion in Suzuka, it was clear for many months that it would be the inevitable outcome. When the results were officially confirmed, all eyes were on the newly-crowned champion and his celebrations with girlfriend Kelly Piquet.

It was initially thought that Verstappen had just fallen short of mathematically clinching the title at the end of the rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday even though he won it with a mind-blowing gap of over 27 seconds. However, after some clarifications on the number of points to be awarded and a penalty handed to Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, the Red Bull Racing team found out that they now have a back-to-back champion.

Teammate Sergio Perez was one of the first to congratulate, and of course Piquet. Her iconic "helmet kiss" from last season was not repeated, but photos and videos of the pair hit the headlines in the succeeding hours.

Piquet was seen beside Verstappen as the two of them took photos surrounded by members of the Red Bull team. There were also photos shared of them hugging and kissing while posing with the Japanese Grand Prix winner's trophy. She personally shared a photo on her Instagram showing herself giving Verstappen a peck on the cheek as he was all smiles while holding the trophy.

Some fans also captured the moment as Piquet watched Verstappen on the podium.

Initially, Verstappen had been resigned to the idea that he would have to wait for the next race to clinch the title, but he was clearly ecstatic for the dominant win. Ferrari driver Leclerc was also aware that there is next to no chance of challenging the Dutchman for the championship at that point, but he still looked utterly gutted after finding out that he was bumped down a place after taking a penalty.

In the end, things settled down and all the teams and drivers up and down the paddock started congratulating the new champion. It was anti-climactic and again less than an ideal way to win, but it was certainly less controversial than last season.

The new double world champion and his ladylove continued to celebrate away from the cameras, but more photos and videos are expected to come out in the coming days. Piquet, daughter of former world champion Nelson Piquet, has gained millions of fans herself over the years. However, haters also abound especially since her father's alleged racist slur against Lewis Hamilton in an interview last year.

In any case, there is no doubt that Kelly Piquet is the queen bee among the WAGs this season, starting a new culture in F1 where the partners have increasing notoriety alongside the drivers themselves.