Max Verstappen Wins Rain-Shortened Japanese Grand Prix, Secures Second Championship

Max Verstappen needed to get 113 points clear of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez to clinch his second career championship in today's Japanese Grand Prix. When the race was delayed by rain and shortened to just a 40-minute shootout by time constraints, the expected interpretation of a new rule meant to avoid shortened events was that Verstappen would only get the points awarded for a race between 50 and 75 percent of race distance. When Verstappen won the race in dominant form, he was short under that ruling.

Then, somehow, Verstappen was told during his post-race interview that he was the 2022 World Driver's Champion.

As it turns out, the rule was only applicable if the race was ended by a red flag, not if a red flag shortened the race itself. Because the race finished under green in some form, full points were awarded and Verstappen was 114 points clear of the field post-race. Sky F1, the broadcast partner for the series in both England and the U.S, had repeatedly described an incorrect ruling throughout the broadcast and were unaware Verstappen would win the title until it was announced mid-celebration.

Behind the surprise champion, Charles Leclerc received a penalty for going off track in the final chicane on the final lap, handing second to Sergio Perez and third to Leclerc. The two will continue their battle for second in the driver's championship throughout the next four races. Esteban Ocon successfully held off Lewis Hamilton throughout the short race to take fourth, while Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Nicholas Latifi, and Lando Norris completed the points scorers.

Before Verstappen's surprise championship, the story of the day was a shocking and horrifying safety issue on track. When the race briefly started under heavy rain, Carlos Sainz Jr. spun hard out of a hairpin and brought out a quick safety car. When Pierre Gasly passed the site of the crash while catching up to the safety car, he came across a truck recovering Sainz's Ferrari on the track surface.

The incident immediately brought memories of the 2014 race here, an event marred by Jules Bianchi crashing in the rain into a recovery crane and sustaining major injuries that would eventually lead to his death in 2015. Understandably, drivers and participants were enraged. Lando Norris, who continued in the race when it resumed, went as far as to call it unacceptable.

The FIA, somehow, responded to meaningful fears over the safety procedure infraction by announcing that Gasly would be summoned to the stewards for speeding under the safety car.

Formula 1 returns at the Circuit of the Americas in two weeks for the United States Grand Prix. Hopefully, that race will be run to its full distance without any surprise championships announced ten minutes later.

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