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Max Verstappen won his second world championship in succession at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday — and it was a time penalty imposed on Charles Leclerc that sealed the triumph in chaotic scenes.
Verstappen dominated a shortened race affected by rain, leading home Leclerc by 26 seconds in only a 28-lap contest.
A second-placed finish for Leclerc would have kept his world championship hopes alive, but he was slapped with a five-second penalty for breaching track limits and gaining an advantage over Sergio Perez on the final chicane.
In a series of events that had Formula 1 fans struggling to keep up, Verstappen was informed of his title win by Johnny Herbert during an interview.
Verstappen was interviewed, Perez followed, and when word filtered through to Herbert that Leclerc had been penalised, Verstappen was called back for another interview and told he’d won the title.
“Max, I think things maybe have changed for you,” Herbert said.
“Come back in.
“Charles got a five-second penalty there after the little sort of race we had with Sergio.
“World champion!”
Verstappen laughed as he tried to register the shock.
“Well, what can I say!” said the Red Bull superstar.
“Incredible, of course.
“Very special also to do it here in front of all the … Japanese fans.
“Incredible.”
Herbert attempted to continue the interview but the hysterics took over, Verstappen racing to his team to celebrate as his fans went wild.
A tally of 366 points was enough for Verstappen to clinch the world championship, with Perez sitting in second on 253 and Leclerc in third on 252.
MORE TO COME.
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