F1: Verstappen can win 2nd straight World Title at Suzuka this weekend

With 5 races remaining on the 2022 F1 calendar, Max Verstappen holds a commanding 104-point lead over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and 106-point lead over his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

He needs to be 112-points clear after the race at Suzuka to ensure he has clinched the title with four races of the season to go.

Including the upcoming Grand Prix in Japan, there are a maximum of 138 points up for grabs across the remaining races if fastest lap bonus points and the eight for winning the sprint race at next month’s Brazilian Grand Prix are taken into account along with the 25 awarded for Grand Prix wins.

Victory for Verstappen at Suzuka will see him crowned champion if Leclerc finishes lower than second. So, a Red Bull Honda 1-2 finish would do that.

However, victory with the bonus point for the fastest lap will ensure he retains his title irrespective of where the Ferrari man finishes.

A win in Japan by Verstappen would ensure Perez can no longer win the title regardless of where he finishes in the race.

Verstappen will not be crowned champion in Japan if Leclerc or Perez finish ahead of him. He would therefore have to wait until the following race in the USA to potentially seal the title.

The Dutchman definitely cannot win the title in Japan if he finishes outside the top six.

If he fails to win in Japan, Verstappen needs to score a minimum of eight more points than Leclerc and a minimum of six more points than Perez to be crowned champion.

How to Watch the Japanese GP

The Suzuka circuit has no lights, so the race has to be held during the day in Japan.  Americans on the East Coast who want to catch all the action this weekend will have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning.

All Times Eastern