Max Verstappen won his second Formula 1 title after claiming victory at a chaotic Japanese Grand Prix.
According to the report by Metro news, the Dutchman started on pole at the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of championship rivals Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez but after just one lap the race was red-flagged with conditions too wet to race and visibility extremely limited.
After a two hour delay at the Japanese Grand Prix, the race resumed and Verstappen simply cruised to victory, with the rain proving no problem for the Red Bull driver.
But as he crossed the finishing line the championship was not his, as Leclerc had finished second to keep the title race alive.
However, at the very last corner of the last lap, Leclerc cut the chicane while defending Perez and as the post-race interviews were being conducted, the Ferrari man was given a five-second penalty which dropped him to third.
And with full points being awarded despite the race not being fully completed, this was enough to for Verstappen to extend his championship lead to 113 points with only 112 remaining in the season.
‘It’s crazy. Very mixed emotions,’ a somewhat confused Verstappen said upon finding out he was champion.
‘Looking back, what a year we’ve had so far. It’s been incredible. It’s something I could never have imagined.
‘After last year, fighting until the end, and then having such a good car again this year. I’m so thankful to everyone who has been contributing to this success.
‘What can I say? Incredible! Very special to do it here. In front of the Honda people and the Japanese fans.’
With two championships under his belt, Verstappen moves level on the all-time list with Alberto Ascari, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mika Hakkinen and Fernando Alonso.
‘We thought it wasn’t going to be full points awarded. We thought we were one point short,’ Red Bull boss Christian Horner added.
‘We were looking at pitting him for the fastest lap and so on. Wow, that’s beyond all our dreams.
‘Max has been truly, truly dominant. That’s our 14th victory, a record for us, and the way he has driven since the first race.
‘We came back from some difficulties in the first couple of races, but he and the team have just raised it to another level.’