Plonking himself down on a red throne, which was draped with faux fur, sitting before a banner proclaiming “World Champion 2022”, Max Verstappen could clearly be heard asking at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix: “Have I, or have I not?” This was the question on everyone’s lips: Had he done enough to secure a second world championship with four races to spare?
It was one of the most awkward endings to a Formula 1 championship title battle in history. It left the Red Bull team bosses frantically studying the rule books to find out if their man had won.
After what felt like a lifetime of awkward glances between the occupants of the cooldown room, the FIA confirmed Verstappen was indeed the world champion. His shoulders lowered, his chest relaxed and a huge grin spread across his face. Charles Leclerc had been handed a five-place grid penalty, meaning Sergio Perez was elevated to second; moreover, the regulations unexpectedly awarded full points for the half-distance race, despite new rules having been introduced this year which were supposed to prevent that happening.
Verstappen therefore claimed his second world title, and with it secured his name in the history books again. But this season it felt different. After a bumpy start to the season, he has since dominated, been in a league of his own, showing greater maturity in and out of the car.
After the opening three races Verstappen was 46 points behind the Ferrari of Leclerc. The Red Bull driver effectively ran out of fuel at the opening race of the season in Bahrain, beat Leclerc to win in Saudi Arabia, but a fuel leak in Australia left Verstappen point-less again. Leclerc’s two wins and a second left him on 71 points. All signs pointed to a Ferrari resurgence, with Verstappen facing a new threat to defend his title.
Since then, Verstappen has won 11 out of 15 races, making few mistakes to on his way to a commanding second title triumph. The season as a whole was a stark contrast to the emotionally charged 2021 campaign. The clashes with Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone and Monza. The gut-punch of his tyre exploding while he was six laps away from winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. And of course that notorious conclusion in Abu Dhabi.
The 2022 title-decider was also controversial, though for other reasons. And it confirmed Verstappen’s annihilation of the opposition this year, the title settled with four races to go.
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