Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has said that the Maranello team will look for further clarification from the FIA following the widespread confusion regarding the points situation at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, as no one knew for sure if Max Verstappen had won the title, even as the drivers went to the podium celebration.
Formula 1 and the FIA introduced new rules and regulations after the events which took place in the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, when full points were awarded despite the fact that drivers only spent three laps behind the safety car on track.
As a result, the new system saw brackets introduced with no points awarded before at least two racing laps are completed and then growing allocations after 25, 50 and 75 per cent of the race distance is crossed.
Yet a loophole was clear last weekend at the Suzuka circuit in the Japanese Grand Prix: less than 75 per cent of the laps were completed, but FIA argued that given the fact that the race was able to be continued after a red flag delay and it reached a conclusion in normal circumstances, full points should be awarded. This meant that Max Verstappen mathematically won the 2022 Formula One championship, as Charles Leclerc was relegated to third place due to a five-second time penalty for an incident with Sergio Perez on the last lap.
The Ferrari boss was asked if this had in fact been the original goal of the regulation changes and admitted it may not be the case: “Honestly, I don’t know. I think whatever I would answer would be wrong, so I need to double-check with our sporting guys what was the clear understanding and what has been the conclusion, the way that it has been written and interpreted compared to the intention. It’s a detail which I understand we somehow need to clarify as well for the future, what was the true intention? What should you do? Is that clear enough? But I’m not too concerned. I’m not too disappointed by it. I accept the way that the FIA has interpreted it and let’s review, let’s discuss, but I would not go to any conclusion yet on that.” – the Ferrari team principal admitted, at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix.
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The situation became even more confusing as the stewards quickly investigated Charles Leclerc’s incident with Sergio Perez and decided for a post-race time penalty for that changed the outcome of the podium and sealed the title for the Red Bull driver. Had Charles Leclerc finished in P2 at the Suzuka circuit, Max Verstappen would have had to wait for the United States Grand Prix to celebrate the title.
“We were confused ourselves. We were confused and we thought it would not have been the full awards. So initially, our calculation was such that he was not world champion but at the end, a clarification has been given which is an ok clarification. I think it is simply accepted as the way it is. He is world champion and it is clear enough.” – Mattia Binotto concluded.
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