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Max Verstappen dominantly clinched his second world title at the 2022 F1 Japanese GP. The driver finished the race around 20 seconds clear of everyone and was in a league of his own in the wet weather. In a race that almost didn't take place, the beautiful crowd at Suzuka witnessed around 40 minutes of racing that proved consequential for the championship and delivered some great action.
The top two spots went to Red Bull, something that would please Honda, the title sponsor of the Japanese GP this time around. Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez had a close battle for P2, Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton for P4, and Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso for P6. The action on display almost made fans wish there were more laps.
Having said that, while some of the drivers and team personnel will be leaving Suzuka with a smile on their faces, others might not be too happy with how things panned out. In this post-F1 Japanese GP feature, let's take a look at the winners and losers for the 40-minute sprint that took place after the extended rain delays.
2022 F1 Japanese GP (Winners and Losers)
Winner
Max Verstappen
Keeping the world championship crown to one side, let's just sit back and marvel at the race Max Verstappen executed in treacherous conditions in Suzuka. Winning the race by more than a 20-second margin in a race that lasted around 40 minutes is dominance of the next level. Verstappen is the best driver on the grid right now and his ability to perform in any possible condition makes him this formidable.
Speaking of the title, Verstappen was likely to be crowned in this race or the next, but congratulations to the Dutch driver on becoming the second youngest two-time world champion.
Loser
FIA
First of all, irrespective of whether Pierre Gasly was driving too fast or slow, that tractor should not have been there. It was a clear miss from the FIA and it needs to be looked into.
The second area is one where F1 might need to interject a bit more. Looking at the way the race evolved in those 40 minutes, there is an argument to be made over whether the race could have started earlier as well. F1 received a 40-minute spectacle today, but it could have had a lot more had the race director been more proactive.
FIA has erred on the side of caution far too much this season and this is a conversation that F1 might need to have soon, especially for the rain-affected races.
Winner
Esteban Ocon/Alpine
A P4 by Esteban Ocon is a sensational result for Alpine. Especially because it was achieved by keeping a seven-time world champion behind him for close to 20 laps. On a weekend when all eyes were on Fernando Alonso with F1 pundits raving about how good he is, it was Ocon who produced a stunning result in a car that had no business fighting so high up the grid.
In terms of the championship, Alpine will be extremely happy with the reversal of fortunes as the team climbs to P4 once again. All the damage done in Singapore has been nullified in Japan, with a very strong result by the team.
Loser
McLaren
McLaren will be very disappointed with how the 2022 F1 Japanese GP weekend transpired. After a few laps in the rain, it became clear that the car just did not have the speed. Lando Norris was one of the first to switch to inters and that helped him early in the race but overall, once everyone had the same tires, McLaren was even slower than Williams.
A humbling F1 Japanese GP for McLaren as the team has a mountain to climb once again in the championship.
Winner
Sebastian Vettel
True to our prediction, Sebastian Vettel finished the 2022 F1 Japanese GP inside the top 8. This was another result from a driver who is walking away from the sport not because he's lost the talent or the will to drive, but because he does not have the tools to compete.
This was another classic display of driving expertise from Sebastian Vettel. Not only did he put everything together and make the perfect call when it came to switching to inters, but he also showed masterful driving skills by holding off the marauding Fernando Alonso at the end of the race. Vettel would have had a tear or two when he crossed the finish line at the F1 Japanese GP for one last time. This was the perfect farewell that the German could have given to the Japanese crowd.
Loser
Mercedes
Mercedes leaves the 2022 F1 Japanese GP having been outscored by Alpine. Lewis Hamilton spent the entire race unsuccessfully trying to pass Esteban Ocon. George Russell was compromised by the double stack that left him out of place.
The German squad has made a lot of noise this season, with some interesting 'flash in the pan' moments like Zandvoort for instance. Overall, though, the 2022 F1 Japanese GP showed that there's so much more that needs to be done before the team is back fighting at the front.
