Japanese GP: Max Verstappen becomes two-time F1 world champion after pole finish at Suzuka

Max Verstappen won his second F1 driver championship following a dramatic finish to the rain-soaked Japanese GP on Sunday, October 9. The Red Bull driver was confirmed as the champion after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was hit with a five-second penalty for going off-track and trying to take advantage during the final lap of the race. Following the penalty, Leclerc was demoted to third place while Perez who had finished third was promoted to second place making it 1-2 for Red Bull. 

The 2022 season has been a fantastic one for Max Verstappen who won  12 out of the 18 races. Before the Japanese GP he was on a roll which included winning six of the last seven races. By winning his second F1 World title Verstappen also entered an elite list. He becomes only the third driver in F1 to have won the championship with four or more races remaining. Before Verstappen, Michael Schumacher achieved the feat back in 2002 with six races to go, while Nigel Mansell won the title in 1992 with five races left, and Sebastian Vettel won his F1 title with four races remaining

Japanese GP: Verstappen wins chaotic race

The Japanese GP was filled with drama right from the start of the race. The race was stopped early with a red flag coming out due to heavy rains after just three laps. The start of the race witnessed drama with Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and Williams driver Alex Albon both crashing out after mechanical failure. Alpine Tauri driver Pierre Gasly was left furious after coming close to a recovery vehicle which he was unable to see ahead of him due to poor visibility.

After the race eventually got underway after two hours, Verstappen produced a near-faultless performance to claim the victory. When it looked like, Verstppen's title celebration would stretch until the next race in the United States, Leclerc's post-race penalty handed the title to the Dutch driver which sparked celebrations in the Red Bull garage.