In Chaotic Circumstances, Max Verstappen was Crowned World Champion at The Japanese Grand Prix

In chaotic circumstances, Max Verstappen was crowned world champion at the Japanese Grand Prix. Following a dominant victory in the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, Max Verstappen had been crowned the Formula One world champion in unusual circumstances.

It had been a hectic race, stalled by rain and then restarted, with confusion trying to reign over whether Verstappen had successfully defended his title.
As the race was red-flagged due to rain for much of the race, it appeared that the Red Bull driver would have to wait until the following grand prix in Austin to guarantee the drivers' title for the second time in his career.

When the race resumed, it was much shorter, presumably leaving fewer points available, and with Verstappen's rival Charles Leclerc crossing the line in second, he appeared mathematically still in contention for the title.

As a result, when Verstappen crossed the finish line, he initially only celebrated a race victory - his 12th of the season - and completed his first post-race interview accordingly.

However, under pressure from Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, Ferrari's Leclerc cut the final corner and incurred a five-second time penalty after the race, effectively ending his title challenge.

"Do I have or do I not have?" "I'm hearing different things," Verstappen said after being crowned world champion for the first time during a second post-race interview.

It was confirmed once more, and he sat in a throne room in front of a 'World Champion' banner.

"I'm a little lonely," he admitted.

Even after the podium celebrations to mark his race victory, the Red Bull driver was unsure of his new status as a two-time world champion, as the regulations requiring the awarding of points in the rain caused confusion.

"Do you think I'm the world champion?" Verstappen asked Jensen Button before his podium interview.

Since the race was restarted after a rain delay, full points rather than staggered points could be awarded, giving Verstappen a 113-point lead in the world championship with only 112 races remaining on the calendar.

Suzuka was drenched all afternoon, and spray streamed out the backseats of the cars as they started for the first time.

Leclerc contested Verstappen for pole into the first corner, but the trying to defend world champion held his line towards the outside to keep the lead.

Behind them, Ferrari's Sainz aquaplaned off the road, into the advertising boarding, and out of the race, while Williams' Alex Albon was forced to retire due to a gearbox failure.

Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri picked up debris from Sainz's crash recovery truck and pitted for a new front wing.

As he caught up to the field, he drove past a recovery truck on the track, evoking memories of Jules Bianchi, who died eight years ago after his car collided with a recovery truck on this track, and eliciting rage from drivers and teams alike.

"No respect for the driver's life, no respect for Jules' incredible memory," Bianchi's father Philippe said on Instagram.

Gasly was later fined 20 seconds and two points for speeding under red flag conditions. CNN has reached out to the FIA for comment on the safety concerns of the teams and drivers.

Shortly after, the race was called off, and there was a nearly two-hour delay while the conditions improved in the pouring rain.

The sky was still overcast when the race resumed behind a safety car to help clear the track of water, and each car trailed a plume of spray behind it.

Several drivers pitted soon after the restart to change from wet to intermediate tires.

Verstappen was among them, and once out of the pits, he effortlessly weaved his way through the field to reclaim the lead, opening up a four-second lead over Leclerc, who initially looked comfortable in second, eight seconds ahead of Perez.

Verstappen's lead only grew, reaching 10 and then 15 seconds over Leclerc, whose focus shifted to the car behind as Perez closed in on the Ferrari near the end of the race.

On the final corner, Leclerc succumbed to Perez's pressure and locked up on the race's final chicane, cutting the corner and earning a five-second penalty that dropped him to third.

Verstappen cruised to victory 27 seconds later, confirming his dominance in a season in which he has won 12 of the 18 races.

He only needs one more victory from the remaining four races to equal Michael Schumacher's 2004 and Sebastian Vettel's 2013 records for most Grand Prix victories in a single season.