Max Verstappen won a rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday – his 12th win of the 2022 season – to secure his second FIA Formula One World Championship title as main rival Charles Leclerc’s late penalty put him behind Sergio Pérez on the podium.
The first start was conducted in tricky rain conditions as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. spun off into the barriers, however the weather finally eased off enough later on for the drivers to get 28 laps of racing under their belts to ensure a full points finish before the sun set.
SUZUKA, JAPAN – OCTOBER 09: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari F1-75 during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on October 09, 2022 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
With the odds now stacked against them to win the title on the day, Dutchman Verstappen stayed out front from the restart with the pit stops timed to perfection so he could cruise to victory as Mexican Pérez lost out to Leclerc but moved up to second from third when the stewards handed Leclerc a five-second penalty for leaving the track.
With the 2022 drivers’ title now wrapped up for Verstappen, Oracle Red Bull Racing will look to seal their first constructors’ title in nine years at the US Grand Prix in Austin on October 23.
Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda finished 13th in front of his home Japanese fans as French teammate Pierre Gasly ended in 18th with four races left this season.
SUZUKA, JAPAN – OCTOBER 09: Race winner and 2022 F1 World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on October 09, 2022 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
MAX VERSTAPPEN – 1st and 2022 World Champion
“This is crazy! To win here in Japan is really special, I feel really proud that we could do it here. When I crossed the line, I didn’t know that I was World Champion, there was a lot of confusion but I thought it was quite funny. The first Championship was very emotional and this time it feels very different, it feels even more beautiful because of the season we’ve had. The teamwork has been unreal, we kept on pushing, kept on believing and kept on improving the car.
As a Team we’ve made very few mistakes, you can’t be perfect but for most of the races we were close to it. Working together with Honda has been incredible and of course a lot of my thanks goes out to the Team here at track, back at the factory and everyone that’s been contributing with the Red Bull Powertrains division. Everyone has been working flat out and has a huge amount of motivation. Checo has been an incredible teammate and now the full focus is on the Constructors Championship. Let’s see what we can do in Austin.”