Formula 1 experienced a memorable race at Suzuka. First, a recovery vehicle caused a dangerous situation, then the continuous rain on Sunday brought a long interruption – and finally Max Verstappen was surprised at the Japanese Grand Prix because he became world champion early on.
Deserved World Champion
Even in the rain chaos with many delays and under very difficult conditions, Max Verstappen was unbeatable. The Dutchman secured his second world title in a row, deservedly and confidently. Twelve wins this season is already an outstanding mark, with four remaining races of the season the record of Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel is in it. Both made it to the top 13 times in one year – but with four or five fewer races. “I’m really proud that I managed to win the title here,” said Verstappen.
Bad rain maturity
Sebastian Vettel described the current rain tires from manufacturer Pirelli as “scrap”. They are unsuitable for racing, added world champion Verstappen: “Nobody wants to drive these tires. It’s not criticism and I’m happy to help find better tires to really be able to drive in the rain.” The Dutchman suggested own test days for new rain tires in the near future. The problem with the current tires: They don’t displace enough water and are therefore extremely slow. It is therefore fundamentally impossible to contest an entire Grand Prix with them.
Successful farewell
Sebastian Vettel was satisfied after his next drive to World Championship points. The four-time world champion took eight points from Suzuka in sixth place, four from eighth in Singapore last week. “Eight points are a mega result for us,” said the 35-year-old Aston Martin driver. Suzuka is the favorite track of the Hessian, who is retiring at the end of the season. “I’m sad that I drove my last race here, but it was a wonderful weekend.” With 32 points, Vettel is eleventh in the World Cup. He had previously won a total of four times in Japan.
bitter end
Mick Schumacher was even in the lead for a short time, but was then passed to the very end of the field. Because his Haas team gambled and left the 23-year-old on the track for too long with rain tires, he didn’t stand a chance. “It wasn’t great, points would have been possible,” said Schumacher: “I’m not entirely satisfied.” He was happy to drive in Suzuka, but 18th place was far from the top ten he had hoped for. Schumacher is still fighting for a contract for 2023.
Dangerous Salvage
A service vehicle on the route sparked a great deal of discussion. Pierre Gasly may have narrowly escaped an accident and drove close to a recovery crane. Although Gasly made a mistake and drove much too fast under the red flag, which resulted in the race being abandoned, the drivers still felt that the tractor should never have been at this point. The world automotive association Fia now wants to investigate exactly how this incident came about and draw its lessons from it. “We should never see anything like this again,” said Ferrari star Charles Leclerc.
