The Formula 1 could be defined this weekend during the Japanese Grand Prix Yes Max Verstappen manages to stretch the distance further with Charles Leclerc and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez, the only two drivers who can mathematically reach him in the drivers’ classification and snatch the title from him, which seems highly unlikely.
the victory of Czech Perez in Singapore and seventh place in Max Verstappen they prevented the Dutchman from finishing by crowning a season that he dominated from start to finish: he won 11 races, five of which in a row.
The regularity of the last sample of the Formula 1 It was one of the main aspects that differentiated him from Leclerc, who so far this season has achieved three wins and as many retirements. The podium was completed by Carlos Sainz, which meant the return of both Ferrari drivers to the podium, something that hadn’t happened since the Miami Grand Prix.
Perez’s strong performance at the Singapore GP was rated 9.4, according to Power Ranking data released by the midweek Formula 1. Followed by Lando Norris with 9.2 and Leclerc with 8.2 The McLaren driver is the best positioned in the drivers’ standings behind the six Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes drivers with 100 units.
This weekend will be the Japanese GP and it could be defined as Verstappen’s one-two world championship, who alone leads the championship with 341 points, followed by Leclerc (237) and Checo Pérez (235). The Dutchman could not add his sixth consecutive win in Singapore, although if he did he would not have been crowned due to Leclerc’s second place finish.
Alike, Verstappen referred to the controversy over the delay in the minutes on the teams that have exceeded the spending limit of Formula 1 last season, which has Red Bull Y Aston Martin like the main ones.
“I think we have our reasons to believe we did everything right, this is what I was told and we will see what happens on Monday, but this is a matter between the FIA and the team, it is not up to me”, the Dutchman said in the previous one Japanese GP.
The delay has also created suspense in Mercedes, which is waiting for what the International Automobile Federation (FIA) next Monday. The team of Lewis Hamilton he lost the tournament on the last day at the hands of Red Bull, so a significant penalty could culminate in a point deduction for his drivers and a possible change of champion.
In this regard, he referred Lewis Hamilton, who said exceeding the budget and letting it go “would question our values and the integrity of the sport.” Furthermore, he added that “money is essential for development and if we had had half a million more to spend we would certainly have been in a different position in subsequent races”.
What does Verstappen need to be a two-time Japanese GP champion?
Despite not taking his sixth consecutive win, the chances of Verstappen to get the two times of the championship increase with the passing of the hours. In front of Japanese GPonly Charles Leclerc and his teammate Checo Pérez can mathematically take the championship lead from him.
The six points obtained in Singapore allowed him to reach 341 units and earn 104 points over Leclerc with just 138 up for grabs until the end of the season. To win the title, the Dutchman will have to win Sunday’s race and hope that Leclerc starts 3rd or worse. Should he fail to win, the Red Bull driver will have to finish the day with a 112-point advantage over his rivals (eight more than Leclerc and six more than Pérez) to be crowned at dawn on Sunday.
To stay with the tournament Japan, Verstappen will enter the shortened list of drivers who have won the championship four races before the end of the race: Michael Schumacher (2001 and 2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2011).
suzuka circuit
The Suzuka Circuit is the official track of the Japanese Grand Prixbased in Mie, Japan, and since 1987 it has been the circuit used by Formula 1 there, except for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. It was built by Dutchman John Hugenholtz in 1962 as a Honda test track.
It is generally found in the final stretch of the calendar of the Formula 1, which has allowed several drivers to establish themselves in the Asian country (Verstappen has the chance to be the third driver to establish himself four dates before the end of the tournament). In addition, he has a total of 53 laps and 18 corners (10 left and 8 right).
The top winner of the circuit is German Michael Schumacher, followed by Lewis Hamilton (5), Sebastian Vettel (4), Damon HIll (2), Ayrton Senna (2) and Gerhard Berger (2). Likewise, the latest winner was Valtteri Bottas with Mercedes, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
Where to see the Japanese GP on TV and online
The race that could define the championship of Formula 1 It will take place on Sunday 9 October starting at 2 am and can be followed live on Fox Sports. In addition, it will also be available in streaming on the Star Plus platform.
The broadcast can be followed through the platform of its category (F1 TV Pro), with the negotiation of the package of all competitions, in addition to training and qualifying tests.
Formula 1 (drivers) position table
- Max Vestappen (Red Bull): 341 points
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 237 points
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull): 235 points
- George Russell (Mercedes): 203 points
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari): 202 points
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): 170 points
- Lando Norris (McLaren): 100 points
- Esteban Ocon (Alpine): 66 points
- Fernando Alonso (Alpine): 59 points
- Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo): 46 points
- Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren): 29 points
- Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin): 24 points
- Pierre Gasly (Alfa Tauri): 23 points
- Kevin Magnussen (Haas): 22 points
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): 13 points
- Mick Schumacher (Haas): 12 points
- Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri): 11 points
- Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo): 6 points
- Alexander Albon (Williams): 4 points
- Nyck de Vries (Williams): 2 points
- Nicholas Latifi (Williams): 0 points
Formula 1 position table (constructors)
- Red Bull: 576 points
- Ferrari: 439 points
- Mercedes: 373 points
- McLaren: 129 points
- Alpine: 125 points
- Alfa Romeo: 52 points
- Aston Martin: 37 points
- Haas: 34 points
- Alfa Toro: 34 points
- Williams: 6 points
Formula 1 2022 calendar
- Japanese GP – October 7-9
- United States GP (Austin) – 21-23 October
- Mexican GP (Mexico City) – 21-23 October
- Brazilian GP (San Paolo) – 11-13 November
- Abu Dhabi GP – November 18-20
Source: Clarin
