Why did they penalize Charles Leclerc?
However, the Monegasque had five seconds added to his race time for cutting through the final chicane on the final lap, dropping him to third.
“It’s a crazy feeling, of course, as I didn’t expect it when I crossed the line,” Verstappen said during the confusion over whether the reduced points under the new rules introduced this year would apply with a race that was run only slightly longer. From the half.
“Was it going to be half the points? I didn’t know how many points I was going to get,” he added.
The FIA, which governs the sport, clarified that the reduced points rule only applies to races that are suspended and cannot resume.
What happened at the F1 Japanese Grand Prix?
Sunday’s race was stopped after two laps due to heavy rain, but resumed just over two hours later, with drivers completing 28 of the scheduled 53 laps and with all points awarded.
As a result, Verstappen leaves Japan with a 113-point margin over Perez, who now moves into second place in the overall standings. The Dutchman needed at least a 112-point margin over his closest challenger to be crowned champion on Sunday.
Verstappen goes for a record of Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel
Verstappen’s win in Japan was his twelfth in 18 races. With four races remaining, the Dutchman is on track to break the record for wins in a season which, shared by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, stands at 13.
“Max has been unbelievable,” said Leclerc, the early title favorite who held a 46-point lead over Verstappen after the first three races. “It’s a fully deserved title.”
“We’ll try to push in the last four races to improve as a team and hopefully set more challenges next year.”
Verstappen started Sunday’s race from pole but was overtaken by Leclerc on the starting line. The Red Bull followed the Ferrari wheel to wheel through the first two corners and regained the initiative.
The multi-car incidents brought out the safety car before the first lap could be completed.
Conditions forced the race to be stopped on the second lap and, after a two-hour delay, it resumed.
Verstappen disappeared into the distance and qualified 27 seconds ahead of his teammate.
By Abhishek Takle of Reuters agency
Source: Ambito
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