Max Verstappen can become two-time Formula 1 world champion tomorrow at the age of 25. Although it depends on the results of his two rivals for the title, Leclerc and Pérez, he can afford to finish in sixth position.
Max Verstappen can win this Sunday at the Japanese GP with his second Formula 1 world title. To achieve this, Verstappen, who has dominated this season despite the fact that Ferrari has had a competitive car in many of the races, the Dutchman can afford finish up in sixth position.
The only option that automatically gives him victory in the championship is to take the victory and get the extra point for doing the fastest lap, something for which he is well placed from pole position.
As long as he finishes inside the top six, Max has a shot at the title, though anything other than those 26 points win and fastest lap will force him to look at the results of Pérez and Leclerc.
The result Verstappen needs to win the title in Japan
If he makes the fastest lap, he will be champion if…
- Win the race
- He finishes second and Leclerc is 5th or worse and Pérez 4th or worse
- Finishes third and Leclerc is 6th or worse and Pérez 5th or worse
- He finishes fourth and Leclerc is 8th or worse and Pérez 7th or worse
- He finishes fifth and Leclerc is 9th or worse and Pérez 8th or worse
- He finishes sixth and Leclerc is 10th or worse and Pérez 9th or worse
If he doesn’t get the fastest lap, he will be champion if…
- Win the race and Leclerc finishes 3rd or worse
- He finishes second and Leclerc is 5th or worse and Pérez 4th or worse
- Finishes third and Leclerc is 7th or worse and Pérez 5th or worse
- He finishes fourth and Leclerc is 8th or worse and Pérez 7th or worse
- He finishes fifth and Leclerc is 9th or worse and Pérez 8th or worse
- He finishes sixth and Leclerc finishes outside the ‘top 10’ and Pérez is 9th or worse
Verstappen and Red Bull’s season has been perfect. The only ‘blur’ is the two retirements from Bahrain and Australia, earlier in the year, due to reliability problems that were quickly fixed. In total, the Dutchman has achieved no less than eleven victories.
In many of these races, Max was opposed by Ferrari, but the Maranello crew have squandered numerous opportunities to beat the energy drink cars, sometimes because of reliability issues, sometimes because of strategic lapses.
That is why the 104-point gap between Verstappen and Leclerc at present does not reflect how close Ferrari has been throughout the course.
With this advantage, Max can afford to be champion with four races remaining in the season, something that the F1 leadership would certainly not have wanted when the new 2022 F1 regulations were introduced…
Winning the title in Japan would be very special for Red Bull’s engine partner and manufacturer Honda, which last Thursday strengthened its existing deal with the energy drink brand, bringing the Japanese brand’s logo back to the cars. from Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
While the technology has been there throughout, let’s not forget that Honda ‘officially’ exited F1 at the end of 2021. It is now rumored that they could return, again as Red Bull’s senior partner, in 2026. If Verstappen wins his second title at the Japanese GP, it will be a great party for them.
