The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix was the scene of a second Formula 1 coronation for Max Verstappen, but the race is more likely to be remembered for the ‘truck-on-track’ incident that angered Pierre Gasly so much.
Scott Mitchell-Malm and Mark Hughes join Edd Straw on the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast to recount the incident – which occurred just before a red flag – and why there was ultimately no excuse for it, as well as explaining Gasly’s measured but angry response.
There was confusion too, initially, about whether Verstappen had indeed sealed the title – firstly because of a Charles Leclerc penalty that dropped the Ferrari driver to third, then when full points were awarded, not a reduced number as had been expected.
That prompted even Red Bull team boss Christian Horner to describe the way the rules had been written as a mistake – so what part of their make up allowed the FIA to interpret them in the way it did?
Whether Leclerc deserved his five-second penalty for cutting the chicane on the final lap and what superlatives are left to describe Verstappen now he has a second title are also discussed.
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