SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — Max Verstappen is now a two-time Formula One world champion, both titles awarded in bizarre and unprecedented circumstances long after he crossed the finish line.
The Red Bull driver won Sunday’s rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix and only found out he was champion until Formula 1’s board of directors penalized Charles Leclerc after the race.
“Of course, the championship didn’t run this time,” said Verstappen initially after he climbed out of his car after his 12th win of the season. The Dutchman even apologized to the crowd over the track’s PA system.
Seconds later, Verstappen was told he was a two-time world champion and crew members and friends smothered him with hugs.
“When I crossed the finish line I thought: ‘That was a great race, good points again. But I’m not a world champion yet.’”
The 25-year-old said he was warned when his mechanics started cheering but he was still confused.
“I don’t mind that it was a little confusing,” he said. “I actually think it’s quite…funny.”
Verstappen’s first title was won in last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi, where seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton dominated the race until a late warning. It was at this point that race officials set in motion an unprecedented sequence of events as race director Michael Masi, who has since been fired, allowed a late restart.
Verstappen passed Hamilton to win the race and his first championship, but Mercedes disputed the finish of the race and the teams feuded with the FIA for hours before Verstappen was finally officially crowned champion and able to celebrate.
Two titles for Verstappen signal a changing of the guard in Formula 1, even if Verstappen’s championship races will forever be remembered for their controversial ending.
At Suzuka, Verstappen started from pole in the pouring rain, only to abandon the race after two laps as several cars collided. Racing resumed two hours later but only 28 of the 53 laps were completed and Verstappen led the entire way.
The Belgian Grand Prix a year ago did not finish in the rain and F1 awarded only half points for the truncated event for the sixth time in history. Almost all teams expected that Sunday’s race would only be worth half a point again.
The entire paddock expressed surprise when the FIA ordered the full number of points. But even that wasn’t enough: Leclerc received a post-race penalty that dropped the Ferrari driver from second to third place and officially gave Verstappen the necessary points advantage to clinch the title with four races to go.
“We then had enough points, so we were world champions again,” Verstappen summed up. “It’s a great feeling, but when I crossed the finish line I didn’t think we would win the title on the spot.”
The race was chaotic from the start in the rain as Carlos Sainz Jr spun and was thrown out of the race and Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu also had a dramatic spin but kept going.
The organizers stopped the race after two laps.
Pierre Gasly was complaining over the radio that he had overtaken a recovery vehicle that was improperly on the track when the safety car appeared as the race was red flagged. It sparked anger across the paddock after French driver Jules Bianchi collided with a recovery vehicle at the Suzuka circuit in 2014. Bianchi was placed in an induced coma and died nine months later, and he was one of Gasly’s closest friends.
“What is that tractor on the track? I missed it,” Gasly radioed his AlphaTauri team. “This is unacceptable. Think about what happened. I can’t believe it.”
The FIA said after the race that they were looking into the use of security vehicles.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner and Perez were also outraged.
“We lost Jules Bianchi here and that should never happen, so there needs to be a full investigation into why a recovery vehicle was on the circuit,” said Horner.
And on social media, Perez complained: “How can we make it clear that we never want to see a crane on the line? We lost Jules because of that mistake. What happened today is totally unacceptable! I hope this is the last time I see a crane on the track!”
Even Bianchi’s father Philippe got involved with an Instagram post.
“No respect for the driver’s life, no respect for Jules’ memory. Unbelievable,” he wrote.
Long after the race, Gasly was penalized for speeding in red flag conditions.
Meanwhile, Verstappen never looked back, even when he wasn’t sure he would clinch the title on Sunday.
But just like last year, when Mercedes spent four days threatening to take the Abu Dhabi target before the sport’s highest appeals committee, Verstappen is again waiting to see if his two titles are intact.
The FIA is investigating whether Red Bull has exceeded last year’s spending cap and a decision is expected to be announced on Monday. It could involve fines or even strip Verstappen of his 2021 title. After the Suzuka mess, it would be a public relations nightmare for F1 and the FIA to snatch last year’s title from Verstappen.
Regardless, Verstappen has proven his worth on track over the past two seasons and this year has been unstoppable.
Best Driver.
best car
best team
Verstappen has won in every way this season – from the back of the field, through traffic and even after a spin in the race. Sunday’s race was another example of his skill as mistakes, mistakes and bad racing conditions never stopped him.
Verstappen essentially bagged the title before the summer break and it was never a question of if he would win – but when and in how many races.
Winning two titles in a row places Verstappen in elite society. It also marks a changing of the guard that could mark the end of the Hamilton era.
Modern drivers who have won at least two consecutive races include Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
Jackie Stewart and Nelson Piquet won multiple titles, but never back-to-back.
Verstappen has overtaken Hamilton as Formula 1 captain. Hamilton, 37, whose Mercedes has disappointed this year, has not won a race since Saudi Arabia, the penultimate race of 2021.
Verstappen has racing in his blood. His father, Jos Verstappen, drove more than 100 races in Formula 1 but never won. The elder Verstappen was once a teammate of Schumacher at Benetton for part of the 1994 season.
His mother Sophie was a high-level kart racer and an experienced driver herself.
Verstappen, who was born in Belgium and learned to race there, races under the flag of the Netherlands, where he crossed the border into his father’s racing business every day after school and worked towards becoming a future F1 champion.
He is the youngest driver to ever make a Formula 1 debut, driving for Toro Rosso in 2015 at the age of 17.
With 12 wins this season, he’s getting close to the season record set by Schumacher and Vettel, both with 13. Schumacher won 13 races in 2004, while Vettel did so in 2013.
Schumacher had one of his most dominating seasons in 2002, winning the French Grand Prix title with six races to go. That was when F1 was a 17-race season.
#Red #Bulls #Max #Verstappen #wins #Championship #straight #year #Sportsnet.ca
Leave a Comment