How Verstappen can win the championship in the Japanese Grand PrixĪdvert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free.If he does take the title on Sunday, there will be a special symmetry – as Suzuka was the circuit in which Verstappen first participated in an official F1 session back in 2014, at the tender age of just 17. Having had his five-race winning streak halted by his team mate, Verstappen will be eager to bounce back with a strong result this weekend. A victory for Verstappen is not the only way he can put the title out of reach, but it is by far the most likely scenario. If he can secure victory and the bonus point for fastest lap, he will be a two-time world champion when he steps atop the Suzuka podium. Verstappen could clinch the title this weekendBut while Verstappen’s chances of sealing the championship in Singapore were always slim, relying on poor results for Perez and Charles Leclerc, Verstappen’s destiny is in his own hands this weekend. He finished a lowly seventh while team mate Sergio Perez netted his second win of the year. Max Verstappen’s first opportunity to clinch his second world championship title last weekend was not only unsuccessful, it proved to be a rare ‘down’ weekend for the Red Bull driver in 2022. Expect heated discussions in the Suzuka paddock if any teams are thought to have been let off lightly for cost cap infringements.
LAST WOOD DRIVER HIT IN COMPETITION DRIVERS
Last weekend Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur pointed out that the FIA readily disqualifies drivers for failing scrutineering tests by millimetres and other fine margins. The last time F1 raced at Suzuka in 2019, both of Renault’s cars – driven by Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg – were disqualified from the final results after their brake bias system was considered to have breached the technical regulations. The timing of the FIA’s findings is therefore particularly unfortunate as it could coincide with the outcome of the world championship. Not just because of what potential punishments the FIA’s adjudication panel may elect to hand any teams considered guilty of a breach and how they could affect those teams for this and next season, but also because the integrity of the cap could be fatally undermined if any sanctions are considered too lenient.Īlthough the potential infringements in question occured last year, the scope of any advantage gained isn’t necessarily limited to 2021, as teams were developing their current cars at the time. This marks an important moment for F1 and the FIA.
Reports claim Red Bull and Aston Martin are the two teams to have infringed the rules. Speculation over the FIA’s procedure reached such a pitch that the governing body put out a statement insisting it is continuing to follow its procedures and will announce any breaches this week.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff last week described the situation as an “open secret” in the paddock. The FIA is expected to confirm any cost cap infringements todayHowever, discussions around the budget cap are likely to dominate discourse as the FIA is widely expected to announce that not all of the 10 teams adhered to its rules last year. Setting a maximum team budget spend of $145 million for the entirety of 2021, it was the first big step towards a new vision of F1, intended to generate greater parity and reward engineering ingenuity and skill, rather than allow teams to simply spend their way to the title. Last season, the FIA introduced its financial regulations to govern F1 for the first time. Here are the talking points for the Japanese Grand Prix. This weekend, Japanese fans finally get their long-overdue opportunity to finally enjoy an F1 grand prix in their homeland once again – and with a Japanese driver for them to cheer on as well. Of the many races that Formula 1 has had to forgo since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka was among the most sorely missed.
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