Verstappen stamps his class with second successive F1 drivers’ title

For the second season running, Max Verstappen’s F1 title was decided in the stewards’ room rather than on the track. The Dutchman secured an impressive win in a rain-induced delayed race at Suzuka, the track where he tested his very first F1 car, finishing ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Verstappen’s main rival for the championship – if a driver trailing the leader 114 points can even be called a rival – had finished the race second, enough to keep the title race theoretically alive, but was handed a five-second penalty for cutting a corner in the final sector of the final lap, swapping places with Perez.

World Champion 2022!!!
We’ve been absolutely on it, the whole year. A season where we had a difficult start but kept it cool, bounced back and never let go. pic.twitter.com/lRX9mj1siw
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) October 9, 2022
Due to the fewer number of laps that eventually took place in the Japanese Grand Prix, there was confusion over whether or not Verstappen will be handed full or partial points for the race win. Despite only 28 laps completed – just over half the original race length – he received full points to take the win.
The chaos that ensued at Suzuka, not just with the final outcome, but also regarding a terrifying moment for Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly, who was at race speed despite a red flag while his vision was impeded rain at the same time a tractor was on track and on the racing line, was emblematic of F1’s organisational flaws.
Verstappen’s triumph, however, overshadowed much of the FIA’s issues. His win this year is a testament to the ruthless winning machine of Red Bull, who lead the constructors’ championship 165 points, sculpted team principal Chrian Horner, chief technical officer Adrian Newey, and team strategs Hannah Schmitz and Will Courtenay.
Verstappen’s dominance in the second half of the season – he has won six of the last eight races – has made the title race seem like a foregone conclusion, but at the start of pre-season testing in March, this was far from the case.
Red Bull came into 2022 in the shadow of the previous year, one that still falls over them with allegations of exceeding the budget cap being dealt with in a report to be released on Monday.
Last year, Verstappen and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton arrived in Abu Dhabi for the final race of the season all square at the top of the championship leaderboard. The Brit led most of the race, but a decision race director Michal Masi to blur the rules under a late safety car appearance allowed the Dutch driver to overtake Hamilton on the final lap, and win his first world championship.

Simply unbeatable. 💪
From a breathless duel for the 2021 title, to his all-conquering form of 2022, there’s no stopping @Max33Verstappen #F1
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 9, 2022
Red Bull had invested heavily to win in 2021, and there were concerns whether they were financially, and Verstappen emotionally, ready to go the dance this year.
During testing and the first few races, there were reliability issues, and pace needed to be sacrificed to deal with them, but the team, together with Verstappen, were able to turn it around so ruthlessly that they left Ferrari in their wake.
Finer details
The car, for starters, was modified over the first three months to become a vehicle that could handle all tracks, all conditions, and be suited to their star driver’s strengths. Newey, with a powerful engine as his base, made use of the new aerodynamic rules to create a car that had as little understeer as possible, achieved incrementally shedding weight, without sacrificing straight line speed or cornering ability.
Red Bull’s team strategies too were just as aggressive as the 25-year-old’s car and driving style. The season will be known for the dreadful strategy and team blunders made Ferrari, once bringing out only three tyres for a pit stop at Zandvoort, and Red Bull’s brilliance at the pit wall was put in sharp contrast. Schmitz, in particular, must get a lot of credit for the timing and tyre options of their pit stops, which almost always seemed perfect.

Eight years ago, when Verstappen did not even have a driver’s licence, he became the youngest driver in F1 hory. His development took time. Despite his generational talent, the over-aggression and urge to prove himself prompted blaring criticism, and plenty of incidents with drivers.
But the Verstappen of 2022 has shown he has the manner and maturity to back up his talent. He won despite starting in 14th place after a grid penalty at Spa, and went from seventh to second in one lap, and into the lead Lap 12, to win at Monza. He has avoided incidents with other racers, hasn’t gone into the wall taking a wrong curb, and consently performed in qualifying. In two years of F1 racing, he has hardly had an off day.
The thought that simply having the quickest car ensures success was outrightly disproved Ferrari this year, whose team strategies and reliability failed them despite having the pace. Leclerc, despite having the quickest car for many races, made the kind of makes that world champions simply don’t, including a spin at Imola, when he went into the chicane with too much speed, and a shunt in France, where he spun into the barriers and out of the race. Ferrari were timid in their first championship battle in four years, and Red Bull were just as ruthless.
With two world titles and 32 race wins – 12 of which have come in 2022 – Verstappen has equalled Fernando Alonso in both aspects. If he wins two of the next three, he will go past the all-time record for most race wins in a year held jointly Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, who achieved 13 wins in 2004 and 2013 respectively.
The rest of the grid beware. At 25, Verstappen is only going to get better.