The details of the Formula 1 calendar for 2023 0:43
(CNN) --
Max Verstappen was crowned Formula One world champion under strange circumstances after a commanding victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
It was a chaotic race, stalled by rain and then restarted, before the chaos continued with confusion over whether or not Verstappen had defended his title.
For much of the race, it looked like the Red Bull driver would be forced to wait until the next grand prix in Austin to secure the drivers' title for the second time in his career, as the race was red-flagged due to rain. .
When the competition started again it was cut short, seemingly leaving fewer points available, and with Verstappen's rival Charles Leclerc crossing the line in second, it looked mathematically still in the hunt for the title.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has now won back-to-back world championships.
This has been Fernando Alonso's career in Formula 1 since he won his last title in 2006
So when Verstappen finished, he initially only celebrated one race win - his 12th of the season - and completed his first post-race interview accordingly.
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But Ferrari's Leclerc had cut the final corner, under pressure from Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, and incurred a five-second penalty after the race ended, ending his title challenge.
Sergio Pérez finally finished second behind his teammate.
“Do I have it or do I not have it?
I hear different things,” Verstappen said, after initially being told of the title from him during a second post-race interview.
It was confirmed again, and he sat in front of a 'World Champion' banner in a room.
"I feel a little lonely," he said.
Still, the Red Bull driver wasn't entirely sure of his new status as a two-time world champion, even after podium celebrations to mark his race win, as regulations stipulating the award of points under the rain caused confusion.
“Am I the world champion?”
Verstappen asked Jensen Button before their podium interview.
According to the FIA, full points, rather than staggered points, could be awarded as the race resumed after a rain delay, giving Verstappen a 113-point lead in the world championship with just 112 remaining to win. on the track
Max Verstappen stopped Charles Leclerc.
Rain fell all afternoon at Suzuka and water was pouring out the back of the cars when they first started.
Up front, Leclerc challenged Verstappen for pole into the first corner, but the defending world champion held his line to stay in the lead.
Behind them, Ferrari's Sainz ran off the road, into the advertising board and exited the race, while Williams' Alex Albon suffered a gearbox failure and was also forced to retire.
Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly picked up the wreckage from Sainz's crash recovery truck and tackled a new front wing.
Reaching the field, he passed a recovery truck on the track, evoking memories of Jules Bianchi, who died after his car hit a recovery truck on this track eight years ago, drawing the ire of drivers and teams for Same.
"No respect for the life of the driver, no respect for the memory of Jules incredible (sic)," Bianchi's father, Philippe, said on Instagram.
Gasly then received a 20-second penalty and two penalty points for speeding under red flag conditions.
CNN has reached out to the FIA for comment on safety concerns for teams and drivers.
Carlos Sainz's car is taken to pit lane during the rain delay.
Shortly after, the race was stopped and there was a delay of almost two hours, hoping that conditions would be safer in the midst of torrential rain.
When the race restarted behind a pace car to help clear the track of water, the sky was still overcast and each car trailed a column of water behind it.
Several drivers pitted shortly after the restart, swapping wet tires for intermediate tyres.
Verstappen was among them and once out of the pits, he threaded his way through the field with ease to take the lead again, opening up a four-second lead over Leclerc, who initially looked comfortable in second, eight seconds ahead of Perez.
Verstappen's lead only widened, reaching the first 10 and then 15 seconds over Leclerc, whose attention was drawn to the car behind as “Checo” Pérez moved within striking distance of the Ferrari towards the end of the race.
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In the last corner, Leclerc finally gave in to pressure from Pérez and locked himself in the final chicane of the race, cutting the corner and receiving a five-second penalty that relegated him to third place.
Twenty-seven seconds later, Verstappen cruised to victory, further confirming his dominance in a season in which he won 12 of 18 races.
He needs only one more win from the remaining four races to equal the record for most Grand Prix victories won in a single season, currently held by Michael Schumacher in 2004 and Sebastian Vettel in 2013.
FerrariMax VerstappenRed Bull RacingSergio "Checo" Pérez