Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his second consecutive Formula 1 world title, at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, only having the confirmation in parc ferme after the race stewards briefly analyzed an incident between Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez on the last lap, deciding to give the Monegasque driver a five-second time penalty for gaining an unfair advantage in his duel with the Mexican for P2 at the Suzuka circuit.
Charles Leclerc was struggling with his intermediate tyre much more than his opponents and ran deep under braking into the Casio Triangle on the lasp lap, having to use the run-off area to return to the track. The Ferrari driver kept his second place finish ahead of Sergio Perez as they crossed the line, but the moment was quickly investigated and the decision arrived in just a few minutes.
The stewards’ did in fact give the Monegasque driver a five-second time penalty which meant Charles Leclerc finished the Japanese Grand Prix in third place and allowed Max Verstappen to win the 2022 Formula 1 world championship, as full points were awarded despite the race barely completing 50% distance in accordance with the regulations.
In an interview at the end of the Suzuka race, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto admitted to being “very surprised and very disappointed” by the decision, pointing out that it took the FIA a long time to decide on Sergio Perez’s potential penalty for failing to keep a gap of less than 10 car lengths behind the safety car at the Marina Bay street circuit last weekend:
“Seven days after Singapore, where they took so many laps to decide and then after the race, we had to hear from the drivers to take a simple decision which was straightforward, today they took it in a few seconds. [I’m] surprised by such different behaviours between Singapore and here, after only a few days. Was the decision of a five-second penalty right or wrong? In our view, he honestly didn’t gain the advantage. He was ahead, he stayed ahead, he’s got the gap, he kept the same gap. So still arguable, but that is the way they decided, which we will accept.” – the Ferrari boss added.
Mattia Binotto admitted that the difference in the timing by the FIA was “very frustrating to see”, especially given the fact that Ferrari was not even allowed to explain the incident or defend their driver, before the race stewards made their ruling.
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“If you go straight for the decision as they are obvious, as they should be, then five seconds at least penalty in Singapore should have been given immediately. [This] would have given us the opportunity to manage certainly a lot differently the situation, and it could have been a potential victory. So, frustrated and disappointed by that as well.” – the Ferrari Team Principal continued.
The stewards explained in their official report regarding this incident that while Charles Leclerc did not gain a position, he was “still deemed to have gained a lasting advantage.”
“This determination takes into account the numerous driver briefings where the Race Directors advised that an ‘advantage’ would be considered as having been gained if you go off track and return in the same position whilst defending,” the stewards noted, pointing out to the precedents with Zhou Guanyu in Saudi Arabia and Fernando Alonso in Miami.
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