The Japanese Grand Prix confused us all, but Red Bull driver Verstappen is that person who was more confused than others. No one could understand how Max Verstappen became the world champion 2022 if the race at Suzuka was just past half distance. Although the answers were found quickly, the residue remains. The point is that Formula 1 fans had been expecting to see Japanese GP in a completely different way. At least we thought we knew the F1 rules, but these rules made us confused even harder.
Chaotic Japanese Grand Prix.
F1 races in rainy weather can be dangerous. There is enough danger here to stop the event with red flags. The time passes by and the technologies in Formula 1 have been stepping up, while the rain is still the problem. Fair enough, the wet conditions caused the race to be postponed for more than an hour during the Japanese Grand Prix. However, as the Suzuka circuit’s surface was being dried, we only had about thirty minutes to watch the racing action. What can be accomplished in thirty minutes?
The hot point in this situation is that there wasn’t much water on the track, as it disappeared very soon after the restart. In Formula 1, a wet compound tire had worked so well that visibility at the track decreased dramatically. Yes that was dangerous, but..
However, after the Belgian GP in 2021, teams, drivers and F1 fans had been under the impression that regulations had changed. So, we thought it would be a real show at the spectacular Suzuka circuit, but that wasn’t to be. As soon as we cough, the race in Japan will not be memorable. Instead, we discovered that Max Verstappen was crowned Formula 1 world champion 2022 before we could blink.
Belgian GP 2021’s flashback.
The F1 race at Spa Francorchamps turned out to be a farce. It was finished with George Russell’s pole, but… But throughout the race, we were doing one thing – waiting for it to end. As a result, it was decided to award fewer points for shorter races.
What could be shorter if the Japanese Grand Prix had half the distance? Perhaps only the Belgian GP has about 10 laps. Anyhow, we were absolutely certain that Max Verstappen would win the 2022 title as he fell one point short.
Max Verstappen is F1 world champion 2022.
Certainly, Max Verstappen is one of the best drivers in the 2022 season and his second title is well deserved. He has won 12 races in 2022 Formula 1 season. The 25-year-old driver made fewer mistakes than the others. Verstappen is always calm and focused on the race no matter what.
That was what happened this weekend too, when he learned he had won the race. He was happy with it. But how surprised was Max Verstappen when they became to congratulate the Red Bull driver on his championship win! Even after this “small farce”, Verstappen called it a “funny moment”. What a coy guy.
It doesn’t matter if Max Verstappen wins on a dry or wet Suzuka. We would be happy with both ways. The unexpected change in F1 rules makes sense. And yes, that was “loophole”.
The FIA’s strict interpretation of the regulations meant that the race ran to its maximum time limit instead of being stopped, and drivers received full points for their efforts. Therefore, Charles Leclerc was given a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage while running off track, dropping to third. In terms of points handed out, Verstappen got enough to secure the title.
Instead of sums up.
The rule of cutting points was developed for the situation when drivers do not complete the full race distance. But it is still a serious issue that drivers were passed a few laps during the Japanese GP and received full points for those laps.
But the residue is still present, and honestly we’re disappointed. Max Verstappen is a real racing knight, a true champion. As a racer, he proves his prowess by competing wheel-to-wheel when necessary. So, we think this race at Suzuka will be the one where Verstappen fights and wins the championship in the racing battle. But, in vain.
Fairly, it is a bit funny, as for the second year in row Max Verstappen is getting his title in a very strange way. Formerly, Verstappen took the title after the scandalous race in Abu Dhabi and the no less scandalous story surrounding Michael Massi and the safety car. So instead of celebrating with Verstappen, we argued over who was right Wolff or Massi. Now again, instead of cheering Max Verstappen on, we’ve been confused by the F1 regulations.
It is a worthwhile lesson to learn from this race. Besides, Max Vertspapen does not need any additional ovations since no one doubts he is a champion.
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