Max Verstappen wrapped up the defence of his world title at Suzuka to claim his second straight Formula One championship with four races to spare.
The victory in Japan was the Dutch high flyer’s 12th win of the season after he started from pole position to reach the chequered flag ahead of any other driver on the grid.
Despite the downpour in Suzuka, Verstappen sealed the deal to clinch his second straight world championship title at the very same venue where he made his debut as the youngest-ever driver to take part in a practice session.
His second title came in less contentious circumstances in comparison to his maiden win last year, in which he clinched the title in a rather controversial manner at the expense of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton during the very last race of the season.
But, this year, the Dutchman has been head and shoulders above anyone, with a lead of over a hundred points separating him from his closest competitor.
However, there was drama up until the very end as the rain hit the race in Japan was said to not have the full points awarded to the driver, but it was declared at the end that the number of laps merited the full points. And to add to the theatrics, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari who came in second behind Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty for cutting the chicane at the end, pushing him to a third-place behind Sergio Perez, thereby sealing the fate of the 2022 world championship.
The 25-year-old’s season started off in disappointing fashion as he came off with a DNF result on the very first race of the season. It seemed like he was back to winning way as he claimed the top spot in Saudi Arabia, this season’s second race. But, he turned in another DNF result in the very next race in Australia.
Just when it seemed like challenger Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was pulling away in the title race, Verstappen picked up the pace and truly hit a purple patch as he claimed the numero uno position in 10 of the following 14 races leading up to Suzuka.
Verstappen’s title defence was also boosted by a flurry of Ferrari errors varying from blown engines to flawed strategy that resulted in Leclerc’s slide down the standings much to the frustration of the Monegasque. But, Red Bull capitalised on their rival’s misfortunes as Verstappen racked up win after win to pull clear in the race to the big trophy.
Hamilton, the person to beat for much of the last decade, was left to watch the title race pass by him as technical issues with his Mercedes set him back multiple weeks in the championship race and was never able to fully recover and challenge for the title despite Toto Wolff’s team rectifying the flaws in their machine as the season went by.
Red Bull did a massive job in maintaining their vehicle’s consistency and dominance, while their competitors were encountering issues throughout the season in one form or the other, to provide the champion and his teammate, Sergio Perez, with arguably the fastest car on the grid all season.
The Austrian manufacturer even had the luxury of coming off with as many as five Red Bull 1-2 finishes in Italy, Spain, Azerbaijan, Belgium and Japan.
Verstappen’s victories at Saudi Arabia, Emilia Romagna, Miami, Spain, Azerbaijan, Canada, France, Hungary, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Suzuka are a testament to his strong showing this season.
Another remarkable statistic in Verstappen’s journey to the top of the standing this season has been the fact the Dutch driver has managed to win a dozen races despite starting only 5 races from the pole position.
His triumph in Hungary came after he started the race from the 10th position. And to quell any doubt about the race in Hungaroring being a lucky strike, Verstappen stood tall in the very next race in Belgium despite starting from P14 at Spa Francorchamps. And he repeated a similar feat in Italy where he came in before any other racer after starting seventh on the grid.
With four races still remaining on the race calendar, Verstappen could potentially surpass the current record for most wins in a season, thirteen, jointly held by German legend Michale Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
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