"I still didn't know if it was full points"- Max Verstappen on confusion about his 2022 F1 championship after Japanese GP

Max Verstappen described his confusion regarding the points distribution post the Japanese Grand Prix. The driver was told about his title win in a confusing manner while giving an interview at the Parc Fermé.

Verstappen was not aware that Sergio Perez had managed a P2 and thought that he was not the world champion in that race. Speaking to ESPN at the Champion's press conference, Max explained:

"But yeah, once I crossed the line, I was like, ‘OK, that was an amazing race. Good points again, but not World Champion yet’. Then I did my interview after the race. And then suddenly, my mechanics started to cheer and I was like: ‘What's going on?’ And then I realised that Checo was second instead of Charles. But I still didn't know if it was full points, half points or whatever is 75%."

The Dutchman further described the confusing situation that he was put into:

"But then of course, you read through the rules. And Tom [Wood, FIA Media Delegate] came to me and he said that I was the world champion. So then we celebrated. And then suddenly people were telling me ‘no, you're still missing a point’. So, it was like: ‘Oh, that's amazing. That’s a bit weird.’ But then eventually we had enough points so then we were world champion again!"

Max Verstappen was completely dominant throughout the race, pulling off a 28 second lead over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Post the Monégasque's final chicane mistake, the Dutchman managed a 112 point lead over him and Perez and became a two-time world champion.

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Max Verstappen called out the authorities over the Pierre Gasly recovery vehicle incident

Max Verstappen voiced his opinion regarding a recovery tractor being on track while cars were still on the track. He explained the situation through the perspective of the drivers who were behind him.

Speaking to the media in a post-race interview, Max Verstappen said:

"Of course, I arrived there first and I saw the crane and I have perfect visibility but when you're behind, you always try to drive out of the spray: you go left or you go right, because you can't really see anything and that is when things happen. You drive suddenly left and suddenly you can see a crane or whatever, that would be very dangerous at any speed. "

Pierre Gasly nearly avoided a high-profile collision with a recovery vehicle brought out on the track after Carlos Sainz's crash. The FIA has now launched a full blown investigation into the situation.