Max Verstappen Crowned 2022 World Champion After A Dominating Drive At Suzuka

Max Verstappen is a two-time World Champion! As expected coming into the weekend, Max Verstappen sealed off his second consecutive crown at Suzuka, as he dominated the very wet 2022 Japanese GP. Max Verstappen led the shortened 28-lap race by as much as 27 seconds from his team mate Sergio Perez, who finished second. After struggling with the intermediate tyres, Charles Leclerc finished the race in P3, having started the race in P2.

Verstappen finished the shortened 28-lap race with a 27-second lead over Perez in P2.

The race got underway as scheduled, but with the track still damp, chaos unfolded in opening laps, with multiple drivers spinning. Carlos Sainz was one of those drivers, and having spun out of P3, he crashed into the barriers, triggering a safety car, and a subsequent red flag. Once his car and the debris was cleared off the track, the race was set to resume, but the restart was called off due to heavy rains, which delayed the start for quite a while. The period also generated another controversy, as tractors had come to pick off Sainz's stranded Ferrari even before all the cars had returned to the pits. This prompted Frenchman Pierre Gasly to jump on the radio to complain for the same, as less than a decade ago, the presence of a tractor on the race track in damp conditions became the cause of the death of Jules Bianchi, at the same venue. There has since been a rule that slower vehicles - except safety cars, medical cars, and ambulances - aren't allowed on the track with other cars still on the track. However, the current race control has taken this rule lightly multiple times now, while being overly cautious to resume racing under damp conditions, thereby being unclear of its own safety standards.

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With a maximum duration for the race set a 3 hours, there wasn't much time left to race when the conditions improved, as the sun had started to set in ‘the land of the rising sun’. The action resumed for just over half an hour, and with everyone required to start on wet tyres behind the safety car, the drama kicked off again.

Due to heavy rains, the restart was delayed and the race was shortened.

Sebastian Vettel & Nicholas Latifi pulled the plug on wet tyres very early, as he came into the pits for a set of inters right after the restart. Seeing him seconds faster than the pack, other teams promptly responded by pitting their drivers too, which resulted in a mix of the order. In the end, the gamble paid off for the pair who pitted first, as Vettel finished up in P6, and Latifi in P9. Vettel held off a charging Alonso - who was on fresh rubber - as they crossed the line inches apart.

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While Max Verstappen was in a league of his own today, the scrap for P2 was quite intense, as Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc battled down to the line. It was Leclerc who crossed the finish line first, but he could only do so after having drifted off track on the penultimate corner. Leclerc was then awarded a 5-second time penalty for ‘leaving the track and gaining advantage’, thereby handing Perez P2, and Verstappen the crown. If Leclerc had been P2, the title fight would've stayed alive until the USGP.

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Charles Leclerc got a 5-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining advantage at the penultimate corner of the last lap.

The 2022 F1 World Championship has been all but straightforward for Max Verstappen. Having seen multiple mechanical failures at the top of the season, the doubt over the Red Bull's reliability had put Charles Leclerc as a strong favourite for the World Championship, as the Monegasque had won 2 of the first 3 Grands Prix. But things soon started to change for the Dutchman. Red Bull brought in many upgrades to the car over the course of the season, making it not only faster, but much more reliable. 

Max Verstappen did justice to his team's efforts, driving an almost flawless season to win the World Championship by as many as 4 races remaining. Only 2 other drivers have bested this number - Michael Schumacher, who won the 2002 World Championship with 6 races to spare, and Nigel Mansell, who won the 1992 crown with 5 races to spare. Sebastian Vettel also won the 2011 championship with 4 races left, which incidentally was also his second consecutive championship, and like Verstappen, it was also with Red Bull. Verstappen  also becomes only the 11th driver in history to win consecutive World Championships. With stellar performances, one on the back of the other, Verstappen now appears in a league of his own, and it is difficult to imagine him letting his dominance over the field slip away anytime soon. But the season is far from over yet, as we have four Grands Prix and one F1 Sprint to look forward to, and the battle for P2 is still wide open, with 5 drivers in the running for it.

Race Results: 2022 F1 World Championship Round 17 - Japanese GP - Race Results

2022 Formula 1 World Driver's Championship Standings - After Round 17 - Japanese GP

2022 Formula 1 World Constructor's Championship Standings - After Round 17 - Japanese GP