The 2022 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix would be one of strong emotions due to the forecast of rain, but nobody counted on a standing start, a red flag that neutralized the test in Suzuka and all the controversy that arose after the Pierre Gasly incident with a crane in the middle of the track, remembering what happened in 2014 with Jules Bianchi.

Max Verstappen had before him the opportunity to proclaim himself two-time world champion, although he needed a combination of results that did not occur on the starting grid, but he did not want to risk the water and complicate his achievement of his second title.

However, the Dutchman was impassive and reaped a new triumph that proclaimed him as world champion for the second consecutive year together with Red Bull. This is the 32nd victory in the Great Circus, which equals Fernando Alonso as the sixth driver in history with the most times on top of the podium, and puts one of the best of all time, Ayrton Senna, as the next stop.

The Dutchman was accompanied on the podium by a Charles Leclerc who could have opted for victory in Japan if the pole position had not escaped him by just 10 thousandths, and who mathematically bids farewell to the title after a five-second penalty at the end of the a race that relegated him to third place, raising Sergio Pérez to the second step of the podium, closing the double for the Austrian team on a day of celebration.

Behind them there was a fierce fight to be the best of the rest, with Esteban Ocon holding Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes throughout the race, even when the seven-time champion pressed with all his energy in the final moments. Behind, Sebastian Vettel was the smartest in the class at his farewell in Japan to be sixth as he was the first driver to switch to intermediates, less than two thousandths ahead of Fernando Alonso, who fell several places trying to stay on track on the extreme wet tires and then took advantage of an extra stop to make a comeback with newer intermediates than his rivals.

Closing out the points zone, George Russell staged a comeback from his pit stop to catch up with Nicholas Latifi and cross the finish line eighth, with the Canadian ninth and Lando Norris tenth.

F1 Japan GP 2022 Race Results:
1. Max Verstappen
2. Sergio Pérez
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Esteban Ocon
5. Lewis Hamilton
6. Sebastian Vettel
7. Fernando Alonso
8. George Russell
9. Nicholas Latifi
10. Lando Norris
11. Daniel Ricciardo
12. Lance Stroll
13. Yuki Tsunoda
14. Kevin Magnussen
15. Valtteri Bottas
16. Guanyu Zhou
17. Mick Schumacher
18. Pierre Gasly
dnf. Alexander Albon
dnf. Carlos Sainz