Max Verstappen ended a sublime Formula One season with a similar performance at the Japanese Grand Prix to claim his second straight championship.
Verstappen’s victory earned him a place in the record books by securing one of F1’s most dominant championship wins.
Only Michael Schumacher (2001 and 2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2011) have won with four races still to run.
Verstappen led the Suzuka race from start to finish but didn’t think he’d won the championship after taking the checkered flag.
There was confusion at the end of the race because Verstappen didn’t think he had won the championship.
“Yes, it was a crazy feeling, of course because I wasn’t expecting when I crossed the line,” Verstappen said after the race.
“You can see it going slowly. It’s unbelievable that we won it here.”
The confusion stems from how many points will be awarded in a race that does not complete the entire distance.
F1 rules stipulate cut-off points are awarded when a race is red flaged and cannot continue – even though the Suzuka race has been red flaged, it continues to finish on the track, which means All points have been awarded.
In the final laps, Verstappen took to his race radio asking Red Bull if he should get a new tire for extra points for the fastest lap.
“I don’t know, like, is it going to be half a point? I don’t know how many points I’m going to get. The distance is just not safe enough for an extra stop.”
While Verstappen’s first title has been controversial after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his second title has looked like an inevitability for several months.
Verstappen’s win was his 12th of the season – Schumacher and Vettel jointly hold the record for most wins in a single season at the age of 13.
The F1 season ends with races in the US, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, meaning the Dutch driver has a chance to break the record.
