Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was announced two-time world champion abruptly amidst confusing circumstances at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen claimed his second championship title at the Japanese GP after winning the shortened race with full points which has caused confusion among the fans.
To clinch the title, Verstappen was required to outscore Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 8 points and his teammate Sergio Perez by 6 points.
The Dutchman claimed victory in Suzuka after the race resumed following a long red flag and heavy rain. He dominated the race in dangerously wet conditions; FIA decided to award full points and a late 5-second penalty for Leclerc sealed the world title for Verstappen.
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Controversial circumstances that brought Verstappen his second title
Due to the circumstances at the Suzuka circuit, only 29 laps of the planned 53 laps took place. With only 50-75% of the race being completed, Verstappen was supposed to be awarded only 19 points.
But the FIA brought up a different interpretation of the rules which states that the reduced points are only applied in the case of race suspensions and races that cannot be resumed.
Adding the icing on the cake was FIA’s decision to hand over a 5-second penalty to Leclerc for gaining an advantage at the final corner. The decision that was made within 5 minutes of the race ending moved the Monegasque from P2 to P3 and promoted Perez to P2.
Hence, creating the 112-point gap needed for Verstappen to clinch the title. The flexibility of rules and sudden changes in the guidelines has made the fans furious about FIA’s operations.
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F1 Twitter reacts to Max Verstappen winning a confusing title
Up until the post-race interview, even the reigning champion had no idea if he had won the title. He had clinched the win at Suzuka but was unsure about how many points will he be awarded.
During Perez’s post-race interview with Johnny Herbert, the Dutchman was announced as the two-time world champion. And like many of us, he was also confused about what had just happened!
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