Picture Credit: Formula 1
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen scripted history as he cliched the 2022 Formula One Championship at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Dutchman took the pole and held on to the top position in a rain-affected race that started after hours of delay.
But despite the win, Verstappen didn’t clock the fastest lap which hindered him from registering full points in Suzuka. So why despite not registering the full 37-points, Max Verstappen claimed the World title?
Behind Verstappen, throughout the race, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferarri driver Charles Leclerc were neck and neck. Both drivers were pushing each other to the limit until the final lap where the Mexican was inching ahead to grab second place. But here the Monegasque cut the final chicane to keep a charging Perez at bay.
So after the race, Leclerc was handed a five-second penalty causing him to finish third. This altered the top three and created the required points difference as Verstappen registered a 113-point lead in the championship, propelling the Dutchman to win his second F1 title in a row.
Journalists, drivers and even the members of the Red Bull team themselves weren't sure that Max Verstappen had taken the title due to that Leclerc penalty. Ted Kravitz, an F1 journalist, talked about how everyone in the Red Bull camp was trying to understand the rules.
He stated, "There was an incredible scene on this Red Bull pit wall. While the mechanics and engineers were running up to the pit lane, Max Verstappen's own team manager Jonathan Wheatley was reading the rules to check the interpretation that Formula 1 had done that made Max Verstappen world champion."
Max Verstappen himself was shocked when heard that he had won the title. "It's crazy. Very mixed emotions," he said. "Looking back, what a year we've had so far. It's been incredible. It's something I could never have imagined. After last year, fighting until the end, and then having such a good car again this year. I'm so thankful to everyone who has been contributing to this success."
