'Crazy!' Emotional Verstappen stunned to clinch second title

When Max Verstappen crossed the line after dominating a wet Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, it looked as though he hadn't done quite enough to clinch his second consecutive Formula 1 world championship title this week.

Even when news came down that Charles Leclerc had lost second place to Sergio Perez after incurring a post-race penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at the final corner, it appeared that he was still one point short.

That's because a rain-shortened race seemed to mean that only half points would he handed out today - until someone read the revised 2022 rule book and found that this wasn't the case in an an interrupted race that had ben resumed.

• Read also: Verstappen crowned champion after cruising to Suzuka win

While previously half-points top any event lasting between two laps and 75 per cent distance, a shake-up following last year's farcical Belgian GP meant it was different this time.

In particular, modifying points only applied if a race was shortened because it had been stopped and “could not be resumed”. In this case the race was resumed after a two-hour delay, and was still running at the chequered flag.

It was a messy way to wrap up the title. Verstappen himself only learned about the full points handing him the title when he was being told live on TV in parc ferme by Sky Sports F1’s Johnny Herbert.

Verstappen's initial response to this was "Are you sure?" and there were several minutes of confusion until the FIA officially confirmed the situation.

“The rules regarding the reduced points allocation (article 6.5) only apply in the event of race suspension that cannot be resumed," the FIA statement said. "Therefore full points are awarded, and Max Verstappen is World Champion,”

"It's crazy. Very mixed emotions. What a year we've had, so far, it's been incredible," Verstappen responded after the news was announced. "It's something I could have never imagined.

“I think the first one is always a little more emotional," he suggested. "But the second one is probably even more beautiful.

"The season we’ve had with the wins, the great races, the team work, the 1-2s we’ve had," he added, with todays' result the fifth 1-2 notched up by Verstappen and Perez over the course of the 18 races to date.

"It’s been a pretty special year and it’s something you really have to remind yourself of, because these kind of years you don’t have very often," he said.

Verstappen himself has won 12 races, with Perez adding two more at Monaco and Singapore. Verstappen said Red Bull's dominance was a huge contrast to last year, where he won the title at the final corner of the last race of the season.

"I'm so thankful to everyone who has been contributing to the success, the whole team who's here," he said, adding that he'd had "such a good car again this year."

"I'm so thankful to everyone who has been contributing to the success, the whole team who's here,": he continued. "But also back at the factory, who are constantly working flat out, they're never missing any motivation to try and make the car faster."

Clinching the title at Suzuka International Racing Course - majority owned by Red Bull's engine partners Honda - was especially rewarding for Verstappen.

"To win twice with them it's very emotional," he said. "The work we've done together with Honda, all the way through, you know, every year just constantly improving rapidly.

"Especially here with everyone watching gives you a little bit more pressure," he admitted. "But it's good pressure, it's positive pressure. We're very proud we could do it here."

With the driver's title sorted, attention now turns to wrapping up the constructors championship which they missed out on last year to Mercedes.

“We’re leading the constructors’, so we really want to focus on that as well to try to secure that," he confirmed.

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