
40 minutes of action under a race timer then took place, with Verstappen able to quickly establish a huge lead over Charles Leclerc.Ī last-lap incident involving Leclerc and Sergio Perez saw the Monegasque driver drop to P3 after a penalty was issued, which in turn confirmed Verstappen's title success.Įlsewhere in the field, Nicholas Latifi claimed his first points of the season for Williams, whilst Esteban Ocon fought off Lewis Hamilton to finish P4 as Alpine fought back to overtake McLaren in the constructors championship. In fact, the news was delivered to the Red Bull driver during his post-race interview with Johnny Herbert.Ī number of incidents and heavy rain saw the race red-flagged after two laps, with drivers eventually re-entering the track after a long wait in pit lane. However, full points were instead handed out, meaning that Verstappen was confirmed as the world champion. The Dutchman took the chequered flag under the impression that he would have to wait until the next race to secure his second successive title as less than 75% of the race was completed, so the broad assumption was that reduced points would be awarded.

Max Verstappen has claimed the 2022 Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship in bizarre circumstances after dominating a rain-affected Japanese Grand Prix.
