F1 Japanese GP: The Formula 1 racing returns to Suzuka after a 3-year hiatus. The racing weekend has so much to offer with defending champion Max Verstappen eyeing his second World title. The Red Bull driver had a chance to wrap up the title in the Singapore GP (on October 2), provided he would have won that race & few results to go his way. But that didn't happen, and the championship fight got extended for another week.
How can Max Verstappen claim the crown in Japan?
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has a massive lead in the driver's championship. The 25-year-old Dutch driver has 341 points in his name, 104 more than Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc and 106 more than teammate Sergio Perez. Including the Suzuka GP of Japan, there are a total of 138 points on offer. In Japan, if Verstappen manages to secure 8 more points than Leclerc and 6 more than Perez, he will be crowned as World Champion this weekend.
In the Japanese GP, Verstappen can finish on any spot from first to sixth to stand a chance for the title win. If he finishes anyway behind this, the championship will go to the next round. Verstappen has his destiny in his own hands in the Suzuka GP. If he finishes first and takes one extra point for the fastest lap, he will get 26 points and the Dutch driver will win the championship regardless of where Leclerc and Perez finish. If Verstappen does not get 26 points, he will have to depend on Leclerc and Perez's results.
F1 points for a race go like this- 25 points to the winner of the race, 18 to the second-placed driver, 15 to third, 12 to fourth, 10 to fifth, 8 to sixth, 6 to seventh, 4 to eighth, 2 to ninth and 1 to the tenth placed driver. One point is given to the racer who secures the fastest lap of the race, provided that he should finish in the top 10.
Max Verstappen's 26-point race will see him race to 367 points in the driver's championship. Even if Leclerc finishes second, he will have 255 points, 112 less. With four races after the Japanese GP, only 112 points are on offer and a countback tiebreak with either Leclerc or Perez will still not take the title away from the Dutchman as he has won more races.
With action set to begin on Saturday(qualifying), it is going to be really exciting for the Formula 1 fans and for Verstappen's fans as they would want him to win his second consecutive title in F1.
