Japanese Grand Prix

Max Verstappen sealed his second Formula 1 world championship amid huge confusion after winning a chaotic, rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix.

But for the Japanese GP there was a different interpretation of the rules, which state that the reduced points are only applied if a race is suspended "and cannot be resumed". I'm so thankful to everyone who has been contributing to this success." The Dutchman would have been denied the title if Charles Leclerc had come second, but the Ferrari driver's final-lap error saw him given a five-second penalty - for leaving the track and gaining an advantage - that demoted him to third behind the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez.

The FIA has confirmed it is launching a review into the deployment of a recovery vehicle which avoided a high-speed collision with Pierre Gasly during the ...

There is no visibility, so the last thing you expect is to see a vehicle on track. "One thing leads to another and we had a crash with Carlos going off. "I don't think many conversations need to be had, especially from us drivers. I don't know who okayed it and who allowed it to happen. That needs to be improved. "I didn't see Carlos and I didn't see the tractor. It should never happen again, ever in any category." "I only saw it on television, but I was amazed when I saw that because in the car I didn't see anything. "If one driver decides to get a bit out of the racing line or has a small aquaplaning or has to change a switch on the steering wheel and gets a bit out of line and hits a tractor, it's over. "We have an intermediate tyre that is a lot faster than an extreme tyre, but the extreme tyre is the tyre for the condition, but it's so slow you are pressured to go onto the next tyre. I really don't understand how it's happened. "I passed two metres from that crane, and if I was two metres to the left I would have been dead."

Max Verstappen claimed his second world championship after putting in a dominant display to win a rain-hampered Japanese Grand Prix – leading home a fifth ...

Sebastian Vettel recovered from a spin at the start to finish sixth, ahead of Fernando Alonso in seventh. Max Verstappen claimed his second World Championship after putting in a dominant display to win a rain-hampered Japanese Grand Prix – leading home a fifth Red Bull one-two of the season. HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from a dramatic Japanese GP as Verstappen seals his second World Championship

DRIVERS1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)2 – Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing)3 – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari)

We had a quite competitive car, I knew it was going to be quite close, you know, in the coming races, but I was like, you know, this is a gap which we cannot give away anymore. But I think we also, we know that we have to fix it quickly. But you know, both are beautiful and both are, at the end of the day, nice to experience because it's nice also really have always the pressure on and having to perform to your limit every single lap of the race. And there's a lot of pressure, because people are demanding a lot and you need to perform, and you need to show results. And of course, a very special year, which will be very hard, I think, in the future to match from myself, I think as well. So whatever we can do to try and improve the visibility and minimise the spray, especially behind the cars, this will be hugely beneficial because I believe that sometimes we can actually run for the conditions of the track but just because of the visibility, because it's so dangerous being behind and you don't see anything, that we end up not running at all. MV: Of course, I arrived there first and I saw the crane and I have perfect visibility but when you're behind, you always try to drive out of the spray: you go left or you go right, because you can't really see anything and that is when things happen. And I mean, the championship, of course, it would have been great to win here but we have a great opportunity of course for the next race. I think the first time, when we were on laps to the grid, the track was looking alright, even for inters, but I think it picked up before the race start and especially, I think, during the first lap it picked up even more. At the end it was so yeah, very pleased but it also makes you reflect on the whole season and we had a lot of very special moments, of course. Obviously Checo was putting quite a bit of pressure behind and I was really, really struggling with both of my front tyres so yeah, at the end, I ended up making a mistake but we were really, struggling today. At the end, we could race and the race itself we could manage really well with the car, with the tyres so of course very happy to win here.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has demanded an inquiry, with F1 sill raw from Jules Bianchi dying after hitting a crane at the 2014 Japanese Grand ...

Other drivers were equally angry they had not been warned the recovery vehicle was on the track as they circulated behind the safety car before the race was stopped. “I don’t understand how eight years later we can see a crane on the racing line. “We lost Jules eight years ago in similar conditions, with a crane on track,” he said. While the rules around the use of such vehicles has been changed since, once more cars were driving in heavy rain and limited visibility at Suzuka when a crane was deployed on track and it prompted a furious reaction. AlphaTauri’s Gasly was catching up with the field behind the safety car at 200km/h when he passed the recovery vehicle on the racing line. His anger at the incident was echoed across the grid as almost every driver condemned the decision to use the vehicle on track.

Gasly's close call comes eight years after Jules Bianchi died when his car crashed into a crane during a rainy Japanese Grand Prix.

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Suzuka International Race Course, Sunday 9 October. Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and Team Principal Andreas Seidl ...

We will now use the time we have before Austin to see how we can extract more. On Lando’s side we unfortunately lost several positions at the initial start which we then recovered by pitting at the right time following the restart. On Daniel’s side, despite moving up some positions at the initial start we were too conservative at the restart, staying out for too long which resulted in losing positions and dropping out of the points. Otherwise, I don’t think our pace was too bad but it was also just a case of managing the tyres. The race itself was a tricky one. It was looking very unlikely so, as a driver, of course, to have that opportunity and have a bit of fun, I enjoyed that, and more so for the fans, especially sitting out in this weather.

SUZUKA: Frenchman Pierre Gasly raged after driving at speed past a recovery vehicle sent out in heavy rain while the safety car was deployed at Sunday's ...

Can’t believe this." "This is unacceptable! Advertisement

There were mixed fortunes on the grid as the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix got under way in wet conditions, rain having hit the track in the build-up to the ...

[second consecutive title](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.points-permutations-what-verstappen-needs-to-do-to-win-his-second-drivers.2y2rFRR2d2o6LRHPijDzLP.html) if things go his way today – to brilliantly fight his way back in front. There were mixed fortunes on the grid as the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix got under way in wet conditions, rain having hit the track in the build-up to the race. WATCH: Relive the race start as Albon and Sainz retire from the Japanese Grand Prix

Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix for Red Bull and secured his second Formula One world championship.

These incidents precipitated a terrifying moment for Pierre Gasly who had pitted on the opening lap and was out of sync with the rest of the field, behind the safety car with a tractor was on track attempting to deal with Sainz’s wreckage. Verstappen was consistently almost a second lap faster and closed out with ease, a fitting finale for the now-double world champion. Verstappen, though, was in complete control, his lap times hugely impressive given the conditions, quickly putting a full 12 seconds on Leclerc who was harried to the flag by Pérez and ultimately made the mistake that was crucial. The race opened in the rain and Verstappen made a slow start but clung on bravely to Leclerc around the outside of turn one to hold the lead as he entered the esses. After this tragedy the FIA introduced a slew of rules intended to prevent such thing happening again, including one which prohibited the use of recovery vehicles unless the safety car or a virtual safety car was deployed. He has become only the third driver to have secured the championship with four or more races remaining – Michael Schumacher took it in 2002 with six to go and Nigel Mansell in 1992 with five, while Sebastian Vettel won with four remaining also at the Japanese GP in 2011.

Max Verstappen's crowning as Formula 1 world champion at the Japanese Grand Prix came in hugely confusing circumstances as fans and media were left unsure ...

In a marathon Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, Sergio Perez’s victory was only assured hours after the race due to a stewards investigation. A testing return to the Singapore Grand Prix in tricky conditions created plenty of hazards and mistakes for the Formula 1 drivers to fall into. After seemingly being stuck in limbo at AlphaTauri - too good to let go, but not a realistic prospect for a Red Bull return - Pierre Gasly has finally shaken off the shackles to join Alpine.

Max Verstappen claimed victory in a wet Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, and with it secured his second drivers' title in bizarre circumstances.

In a marathon Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, Sergio Perez’s victory was only assured hours after the race due to a stewards investigation. A testing return to the Singapore Grand Prix in tricky conditions created plenty of hazards and mistakes for the Formula 1 drivers to fall into. From a recovery vehicle on-track controversy to both points and penalty confusion, Formula 1 went through a difficult afternoon at a soaking Suzuka, but none of which can discredit Max Verstappen’s latest masterclass to make him a worthy 2022 world champion