Maybe one year Max Verstappen will win the Formula 1 championship in a normal and uncontroversial way. This is not that year.
Verstappen repeated as the sport’s champion on Sunday morning, an expected conclusion given the season he is having, and, as with last year’s first championship, was awarded the title in strange and unprecedented circumstances after the Grand Prix of Japan in Suzuka had ended.
The Red Bull driver was declared the winner of the rain-shortened race amid confusion over the rules governing the awarding of points in the rain. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the sport’s governing body, determined that full points could be awarded, rather than the partial points the teams were hoping for, as the race resumed after a delay of two hours, although it was eventually shortened. This gave Verstappen a 113-point lead with only 112 points possible in the last four races.
Verstappen got an assist to secure the title when rival Charles Leclerc was found to have cut the final corner under pressure from Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez. Leclerc received a five-second penalty which dropped him to third.
The delay in the FIA’s final determination left Verstappen, who won his 12th race of the season, initially believing the championship would have to wait until next weekend’s race in Austin. “The championship obviously didn’t go the same way this time,” he said, according to the Associated Press, apologizing to the crowd over the public address system.
His skepticism continued even as his crew swarmed to embrace him, with drivers thinking they would only be awarded partial points for the race. “Once I crossed the line I thought, ‘It was an amazing race, good points again, but I’m not world champion yet,'” he said later.
Verstappen had started from pole in torrential rain, but the race was quickly suspended due to a crash involving the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. The cars were running behind the safety car before the recovery vehicle was released onto the track. Drivers questioned why the recovery vehicle was out with the track so slippery and the FIA said it will investigate the matter. Two hours later, the race resumed, but only 28 of the 53 laps were completed, with Verstappen leading the way.
Still, Verstappen was one of the last to realize he had won the title, repeatedly asking despite being crowned champion: “Have I or haven’t I [wrapped up the title]?” during another post-race interview, according to CNN. “I’m hearing different things.”
With the confirmation, he sat in front of a “world champion” banner, with his second championship capping a dominant season that marked a transition in the sport. With one more victory, the 25-year-old Dutchman would equal the single-season record set by Michael Schumacher in 2004 and equaled by Sebastian Vettel in 2013.
Last December, Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton for the championship in even more chaotic and controversial circumstances, denying Hamilton a record eighth title by passing him on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. During that 2021 season finale, race director Michael Masi’s decisions after a late safety car period were intended to restart the race with one lap to go, but partly ignored FIA regulations to make them This allowed Verstappen to overtake Hamilton on the final lap of the race, causing confusion and acrimony from Hamilton’s Mercedes team and many observers.
An FIA investigation later determined that “human error” was a factor in the controversial finish, but found the race results and Verstappen’s first championship to be “valid”. Masi left the FIA last summer.
“It’s crazy, very mixed emotions,” Verstappen said during a podium interview on Sunday. “Winning the championship, what a year we’ve had. It’s incredible! I am very grateful to everyone who has been contributing to the success, the whole team has been working smoothly. Also, the work we do with Honda every year, constantly improving, becomes very emotional, especially here. I am very proud to be able to do it here.
“The first [championship] it’s more emotional but the second one is more beautiful.”