Max Verstappen made no mistakes during this very tricky Japanese Grand Prix in 2022. The Red Bull driver successfully resisted Charles Leclerc’s attack at the start and took advantage of optimal visibility by being in first place to pull away and become uncatchable.
At the moment of his exit from the race car, as the winner of the Grand Prix, he is nevertheless not crowned world champion. In fact, he needed to win the Grand Prix but most importantly, for Charles Leclerc not to finish second, which the Ferrari driver had managed to do.
« I am very happy that we were able to race in the end. We ended up doing quite a few laps, and the car was good. I am glad that we were able to provide some entertainment for the fans, even though it was a bit dark on the track. At least we had a race.
» Verstappen explained, not yet knowing that he had become the champion.
« I was just happy that we had a race because not running would have been awful for the spectators. Having the championship here would have been great, but we have great opportunities in the upcoming races.
»
As Perez is being interviewed, the FIA displays the message that Leclerc is ultimately penalized for going off the track and gaining an advantage. Therefore, by being demoted to 3rd place, Max Verstappen is crowned the Formula 1 World Champion for 2022.
“It’s very special to be titled here, I have to thank all the fans!” he added on Johnny Herbert’s microphone.
A little later, during an interview with Canal+, the double World Champion admitted that the turning point of the championship was during the French Grand Prix, when Charles Leclerc retired during the race.
