Verstappen reigns in Japanese rain to claim second successive F1 crown

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen clinched his second consecutive Formula 1 drivers' title by winning the Japanese Grand Prix in the rain at Suzuka on Sunday.

Verstappen has been dominant all season and claimed the title with four races remaining.

The Dutchman started from pole position in pouring rain only for the race to be stopped after two laps as several cars crashed. It resumed two hours later with 28 of the 53 laps completed and Verstappen leading the whole way.

He was followed by teammate Sergio Perez in second and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. They were the only drivers who could have overtaken Verstappen for the title.

Verstappen now has an insurmountable lead with 366 points. Perez has 253 and Leclerc 252.

Verstappen did not know initially that he had won the season title after the shortened race, thinking that the full 25 points for a win would not be awarded. But a short time later, the FIA — F1's governing body — awarded full points.

Verstappen had apologized to the crowd on the track public address system just after the race.

"The championship obviously did not come the way this time around," he said.

Seconds later, television coverage declared him champion. The FIA clarified that the reduced-points rule only applies to races that are suspended and cannot be resumed.

At the start, Verstappen took the lead with a risky pass after a slow start but several cars further back lost control including Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who spun and was knocked out.

Organizers stopped the race after two laps. AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly complained on his radio that he passed a recovery vehicle that was allowed onto the track shortly after the safety car emerged. This incident apparently came just as the race was red-flagged.

This is a sensitive issue in Japan. In 2014, French driver Jules Bianchi collided on the course with a recovery vehicle. He was placed in an induced coma and died nine months later.

After a two-hour delay, the race restarted and Verstappen never looked back, leading the rest of the way.

After learning of his victory, Verstappen said: "It's crazy. I've got very mixed emotions. What a year we've had so far — it's been incredible. It's something I could never have imagined happening after last year, fighting to the end and having such a good car again this year.

"I'm so thankful to everyone who has been contributing to the success. The whole team here but also back at the factory constantly working flat out and never missing any motivation to make the car faster."

Asked to compare his 2021 and 2022 title wins, Verstappen replied: "I think the first one is always a little more emotional. But the second one is probably even more beautiful... the season we've had with the wins, the great races, the team work, the 1-2s we've had."

"We're leading the constructors', so we really want to focus on that as well to try to secure that. It's been a pretty special year and it's something you really have to remind yourself of, because these kinds of years you don't have very often."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Verstappen had "grown" as a driver.

"Carrying that number one this year, he's done it with a lot of pride," he said.

Gilded group

Verstappen joins a gilded group of double champions in the rain at Suzuka, in utter contrast to his acrimonious maiden success in Abu Dhabi last December.

There he snatched a controversial last-lap triumph from Lewis Hamilton, depriving the Briton of an unprecedented eighth triumph to land Red Bull's first championship since Sebastian Vettel completed four in a row in 2013.

Mercedes retained the team title for an eighth consecutive season, but that result spelt the end of its F1 domination.

Red Bull had firmly hinted at what lay ahead, and this year delivered a supreme car, capable of winning anywhere and in any conditions, and a more polished and mature version of F1's first Dutch champion.

Having celebrated his 25th birthday just over a week ago, he is the second-youngest two-time champion behind Vettel and now stands at the threshold of what may be a record-breaking career.

It is a remarkable achievement by a driver who was only 17 when he began his F1 career with Toro Rosso in 2015.

He claimed his maiden victory a year later with Red Bull driving with an almost reckless abandon. Now teenage "Mad Max" has matured into "Mighty Max".

Other than the early-season form of Leclerc, Verstappen has enjoyed a relatively untroubled path to join Alberto Ascari, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mika Hakkinen and Fernando Alonso as double world champions.

Another 10 drivers have three or more, including the two at the top of the list — Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. They are future targets.

F1 Hall of Fame journalist David Tremayne reckons Verstappen could go on to surpass Hamilton and Schumacher's record seven world titles.

"It would be wrong to suggest that he has grown up or matured, because Max has always been incredibly mature," Tremayne wrote on formula1.com.

"He's just a much more relaxed and satisfied sportsman who knows he is currently at a fresh peak in a career that may eventually elevate him to challenge even the astonishing tally of Lewis' successes. He is, after all, still only 25. Can you imagine what he might achieve in another 10 years with Red Bull?"

Agencies