Verstappen was awarded the title when second-place finisher Charles Leclerc was awarded a five-second penalty,
Verstappen was awarded the title when second-place finisher Charles Leclerc was awarded a five-second penalty,
Max Verstappen was declared Formula One World Champion after winning a dramatic rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix on October 9, 2022.
Red Bull’s Verstappen first crossed the line and was then awarded the title when second-placed Charles Leclerc was handed a five-second penalty, moving him to third.
The result gave Verstappen an unassailable 113-point lead in the championship, making him only the third driver after Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel to win the title with four races to go.
Ferrari’s Leclerc finished second in the race in front of Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez, but was hit with a penalty after Pérez widened and left the track in a late bounce for the line.
Verstappen was informed that he had retained his title midway through a post-race TV interview, and even the driver himself was not convinced he had sealed the deal.
“It’s definitely a crazy feeling because I didn’t expect it when I crossed the line,” said a shell-shocked Verstappen.
“Was it going to be half a point? I didn’t know how many points I’d get. I was happy with the race we had.”
The race started chaotic in heavy rain, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Williams’ Alex Albon exiting the first lap to safety.
A red flag soon followed and forced drivers to wait for more than an hour before action resumed under a safety car.
Verstappen resumed with the lead over Leclerc and Perez, and extended it as the situation gradually improved.
Verstappen has won 12 of 18 races in 2022 and thanked his team for an “incredible” year.
“The first (championship) is a bit more sentimental, the second is beautiful,” he said.
“It’s been a special year, and you need to remind yourself because you don’t have years like this very often.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Verstappen had “grown up” as a driver.
“Taking that number one out this year, they’ve done it with a lot of pride,” he said.