Max Verstappen won the 2022 Formula One world championship in dramatic circumstances at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc crossed the line behind the Dutchman in second to extend his wait for a second title but a five-second penalty for the Ferrari cutting the chicane in a last-lap battle with Sergio Perez knocked Lelcerc back into third, confirming race winner Verstappen’s triumph.
Even then, it took F1 making a surprise decision to award full points for the shortened race to seal the championship with four grands prix left.
Rain began to fall an hour before Sunday’s race and persistent drizzle set the scene for Verstappen’s second shot at sealing an early world title.
Intermediate tyres were strapped on as the downpour intensified moments before the start yet a thrilling fight unfolded at the first turn as Charles Leclerc darted ahead of pole-sitter Verstappen. However, the Dutchman fought back hard and kept his lead courtesy of a gutsy move around the outside.
The start did not last long once Carlos Sainz put his Ferrari in the barrier as he spun out on the run into Spoon, which brought out a red flag as the rain worsened.
The Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly was the unfortunate recipient of the broken advertising board that careered across the track, although he was able to make it back to the pits. The Frenchman was furious upon his return to the track as he passed a recovery vehicle that had entered the circuit while the cars were still out.
Sebastian Vettel was another to go off into the gravel at the first turn after bumping into Fernando Alonso on his final race at Suzuka while Guanyu Zhou spun at the Hairpin. Alex Albon retired with a mechanical issue.
A 40-minute wait under the red flag was extended moments before a planned restart and the three-hour clock began to tick on. Finally, some two hours later and with roughly 45 minutes of racing allowed before its official end, the grand prix resumed under a rolling start.
The moment Johnny Herbert told Max Verstappen he was World Champion! 🎤
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 9, 2022
Just look at those reactions! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/4YUCxGyht9
Verstappen cruised into the distance as the leading pack refused to gamble on an early pit stop for Inters, Vettel and Nicholas Latifi doing so to leap into the points positions.
Leclerc’s focus quickly turned to holding off the advancing Sergio Perez in a fight for second. But, like Lewis Hamilton’s pursuit of Esteban Ocon for fourth, fading tyres made overtaking too difficult.
Verstappen cruised home by a stonking margin of over 25 seconds, the race nudging past 50 per cent distance to seemingly dish out a slightly reduced set of points over three hours after it began.
Moments later, Leclerc lost control at the chicane but stayed ahead of Perez at the line. Moments after the finish, he received a five-second time penalty to see Verstappen crowned with his confirmation announced during his post-race interview after a decision to award full points for the race on a technicality in the rules.
