Just one week on from his disappointing seventh-placed finish at the Singapore Grand Prix and his first missed opportunity to claim a second successive world championship title, Max Verstappen gets a second chance in Japan this weekend.
With the pressure on his shoulders last time out, a qualifying blunder from his team coupled with a few uncanny mistakes in the race saw Verstappen finish halfway down the pack.
But it’s not all doom and gloom as taking the crown on the outskirts of Nagoya on Sunday would likely be preferable for Red Bull given the team’s partnership with Japanese manufacturers Honda.
Though the pair aren’t in a full-scale partnership this year, speculation has grown that the famous car brand could once again join up with Red Bull fully in the near future, a significant blow to the Austrian team’s competition given Honda built the power unit that led Verstappen to title glory last year.
Their expertise has also helped the Dutchman to amass a likely unassailable lead in the drivers world championship this year as he currently leads the standings on 341 points, 104 clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in P2 and 102 clear of teammate Sergio Perez in P3, who took victory last time out around the Marina Bay Circuit.
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How can Max Verstappen win the world championship at the Japanese Grand Prix?
There’s several ways in which Red Bull’s Verstappen could claim his second successive world championship victory at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.
The most simple would be if he won the race and took the extra point for fastest lap along the way. That would see the Dutchman crowned world champion irregardless of where his title rivals finish.
Verstappen could also be crowned champion if he finishes first, doesn’t record the fastest lap but Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finishes lower than P2.
Equally, if either Leclerc or teammate Sergio Perez finish ahead of him, Verstappen cannot be crowned champion in Japan.
Now to the complicated ways in which he can win the world title.
If he doesn’t win the race, Verstappen has to score at least eight more points than Leclerc and six more than Perez to win the title.
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For example, if the world championship leader was to finish in P2, Leclerc would have to finish P5 or above to continue the title showdown until the United States Grand Prix on Sunday October 23.
If Verstappen takes the title on Sunday, he would become just the third driver in Formula One history after Michael Schumacher (2001 and 2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2011) to secure the crown with four races left on the calendar.
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