Dutch driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing poses on the podium with the trophy after his victory at the Formula One Japan Grand Prix in Suzuka, Mie prefecture on October 9, 2022.
Toshifumi Kitamura | Afp | beautiful pictures
Max Verstappen was crowned his second Formula 1 world championship amid great embarrassment after winning the brief, chaotic Japanese Grand Prix.
There is great confusion in checkers amid uncertainty over whether full or partial points will be awarded for a race where only 29 of the scheduled 53 laps were completed.
With between 50% and 75% of the laps completed, most F1 drivers believe Verstappen will only be awarded 19 points for his victory. But for the Japanese GP there is a different interpretation of the rules, which stipulates that a reduced score applies only if the race is suspended “and cannot continue”.
Verstappen was clearly confused by the situation as the celebrations began and were then halted, but it was eventually confirmed that all points had been awarded, sealing the 25-year-old’s victory with four race for the rest of the season.
Verstappen said: “The first one is a bit more emotional, the second is more beautiful.
“Looking back, what a year we’ve had so far. It’s unbelievable. It’s something I could never have imagined. After last year, fighting until the end, and to have such a good car this year. I really thank everyone who has contributed to this success.”
The Dutchman would have been denied the title if Charles Leclerc had finished second, but the Ferrari driver’s final lap error cost him a five-second penalty – for leaving the track and gaining an advantage – leaving him We dropped to third place behind Sergio Perez’s Red Bull.
The field leaves the pitlane for a restart after being red flaged during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Circuit on October 9, 2022 in Suzuka, Japan.
Dan Istitene – Formula 1 | Formula 1 | beautiful pictures
The previous race was in danger of being overshadowed by controversy, as the initial attempt to start in heavy rain led to chaos, with Carlos Sainz crashing into a barrier, before a tractor recovered away. in the right direction with the cars still running.
The race was flagged red and a two-hour plus delay followed due to continued rain, with the possibility of a resume looking bleak at some point.
The skies cleared, however, and the race continued with a rolling start behind the Safety Car, with about 45 minutes remaining on the 3 o’clock clock that had already begun ticking at the initial start.
The dry run saw the pitch transition from a full wet tire to a medium tyre, but Verstappen remained comfortable throughout as he broke through to win another 27 seconds.
Esteban Ocon produced a stellar defensive performance to keep Lewis Hamilton in fourth place, while Sebastian Vettel and Nicholas Latifi benefited from being the first cars to show up at the reboot, ranked sixth and ninth respectively.
Final results of Japanese GP, Top 10
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
3) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
4) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
5) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
6) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
7) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
8) George Russell, Mercedes
9) Nicholas Latifi, Williams
10) Lando Norris, McLaren
