Max Verstappen Reigned Formula One World Champion in bizarre circumstances after remarkable victory in Japan grand prix on Sunday.
It was a chaotic race. The rain stalled and started again.(Max Verstappen is crowned world champion) before the chaos continued later with the overwhelming confusion that Verstappen has defended his position.
for most competitions The Red Bull driver appears to be forced to wait until the next grand prix in Austin to secure the title for the second time in his career. Because the match was red flagged due to rain.
As the race started again, it was much shorter, there seemed to be fewer points left, and when Verstappen’s rival Charles Leclerc crossed the line in the second. He seems to be still mathematically in the position hunt.
So when Verstappen finished, he initially only celebrated his victory in the race – for the 12th time of the season – and completed his first post-match interview in order.
But Ferrari’s Leclerc cut the last corner under pressure from Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez and was given a five-second penalty after the race was over. End the challenge of his position.
“Do I have it or not? I’ve heard things,” Verstappen said after he was crowned world champion in the first place during a second post-match interview.
reconfirmed And he sat down in front of the ‘World Champion’ flag in the throne room.
“I feel a little lonely,” he said.
Still, the Red Bull rider remains unsure of his new status as a two-time world champion, even after taking the podium to celebrate his race win. Because the scoring rules in the rain are confusing.
“Am I the world champion?” Verstappen asked Jensen Button ahead of the podium interview.
According to the FIA, points are full, instead of staggered. It was earned as the race resumed after rain, giving Verstappen a 113-point lead at the World Championships with just 112 remaining to win on the field.
It was raining all afternoon in Suzuka and spray came out from the rear of the car the first time it started.
Forward Leclerc challenged Verstappen in the post in the first corner. But the defensive world champion kept his line on the outside to remain in the lead.
Behind them, Ferrari’s Sainz got off the road. Went into a billboard and out of the race, while Williams’ Alex Albon suffered a gearbox failure and was also forced to fire.
Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly picks up debris from Sainz’s crash truck and pits it for a new front wing.
catch up on the field He drove past a recovery truck on a treadmill, reminiscent of Jules Bianchi who died after his car crashed into a recovery truck on the route eight years ago. and caused anger from both the driver and the crew.
“No respect for the life of the driver. No respect for the incredible memory of Jules (sic),” said Bianchi’s father, Philippe. Instagram.
Gasly received a 20-second penalty and 2 points for speeding under red flag conditions. CNN has contacted the FIA for comment on the team and driver safety concerns.
shortly after The match was stopped and a delay of nearly two hours followed. By waiting for conditions to be safer in the pouring rain.
When the race restarts behind a safety car to help chase away the water. The sky was still overcast and each car had a mist of mist behind it.
Many drivers got into a pitfall shortly after the restart. By changing wet tires to medium tires.
Verstappen is one of them. and when leaving the pit He easily weaved through the field to become the leader again. It opened up a four-second lead over Leclerc, which at first looked comfortable. in a second eight seconds faster than Perez.
Verstappen’s advantage was only wider, reaching the first 10 and 15 seconds over Leclerc, where attention turned to the car behind it as Perez maneuvered within Ferrari’s dominant distance until the end of the race.
In the final corner, Leclerc succumbed to Perez’s pressure and held on to the final trickery of the race. Cut a corner and took a five-second penalty that demoted him to third.
Twenty-seven seconds on the road, Verstappen sailed to victory. confirmed his dominance in a season in which he won 12 of 18 races.
He needs just one more win from the remaining four races to equal the most grand prix wins in a single season. These are currently Michael Schumacher in 2004 and Sebastian Vettel in 2013.
