Japanese Grand Prix Review: Verstappen Clinches Title Amid Suzuka Chaos
Japanese Grand Prix Review: Verstappen Clinches Title Amid Suzuka Chaos
Even though the Japanese Grand Prix only featured a 28-lap race, there were plenty of important talking topics.
There were enough factors to ponder and narratives to fill several grand prix, from Pierre Gasly’s terrifying close encounter with a recovery vehicle under the red flag to the misunderstanding about whether Max Verstappen had clinched the 2022 F1 championship with four races remaining.
Verstappen seals the championship in a dramatic fashion
The steward’s room was where Verstappen’s second championship, like his first, was decided. However, this time it was due to a quick five-second penalty and a regulation that meant full points were granted despite not running the entire race distance.
Verstappen and his team weren’t aware that he had already won the championship, so it appeared that only the FIA knew how to interpret the regulations this time.
What ought to have been a fairytale victory at the Honda-branded track turned out to be simply another confusing mess of inconsistent rule interpretations.
FIA under massive scrutiny
Red Bull wasn’t the only one that misjudged when the race had finished. Leclerc was engaged in a duel with Perez on what turned out to be the penultimate lap when Ferrari informed him there were “two laps to go.”
It is unacceptable for teams and drivers to believe they are racing when they are not. This raises significant safety ramifications in a race like Spa, where the lengthy circuit necessitates sending the cars straight back into the pit lane as the chequered flag drops and marshals cross the track to ensure they do.
However, this is a drop in the bucket compared to the problem of rescue vehicles being on track while cars are still moving in slick, dimly lighted circumstances.
The latest F1 driver to pass away from race-related injuries happened in 2014 and occurred in rainy circumstances at Suzuka. Jules Bianchi collided with a rescue truck in dangerous circumstances, and the tragedy led to changes in safety car protocols and the invention of the halo.
Eight years later, it appears that neither the FIA nor the Suzuka track have absorbed any of the lessons from 2014. Following Sainz’s accident, a recovery truck was brought onto the circuit as cars raced by at high speeds. This was more dangerous than what occurred in 2014 in many respects.
Half a second before his steering wheel signalled red flag circumstances, Pierre Gasly was racing at full throttle after the pitlane start passing the car. The FIA eventually fined him for his driving, but that easily could have resulted in a fatality.
Stewards’ inconsistent investigations
The inconsistent timing of the stewards’ investigation is problematic.
It had taken nearly two hours for the final results and Perez’s Singapore triumph to be announced a week before the Suzuka race. This occurred because the stewards gave the Red Bull driver several opportunities to present his case for why he had repeatedly slipped too far back from the safety car. So even though there was a long wait, the proper procedure was followed there.
Then, at Suzuka, it didn’t take long for Leclerc to receive a five-second penalty for cutting the chicane ahead of Perez, and he was prevented from offering an explanation.
The results in both situations were accurate. However, it is very puzzling why drivers are sometimes permitted to defend their cases to the stewards while others are not. Although these delays are undesirable, finding the correct answer is always preferable, even if it takes time.
F1 cost cap rule breaches
As the FIA officially revealed the results of its financial audit, Red Bull and Aston Martin have been found guilty of violating the Formula 1 cost cap restrictions from last year.
Like Williams, Aston Martin violated the procedural regulations, while Red Bull was found to have both a procedural and “small” expenditure violation.
Red Bull has expressed confidence that the financial statement it filed in March was safely within the limit, but the FIA believes that Red Bull exceeded the budget cap.
The rules of Formula 1 include various sanctions for teams violating the cost cap.
A public reprimand, a reduction in constructors’ or drivers’ championship points, an absence from races, restrictions on aero testing, or a fine are all possible sanctions for a small infraction, which is defined as an overspend of less than 5%.
How the FIA will respond to Aston Martin and Red Bull’s rule violations is unclear.
