The Red Bull driver provisionally secured his fifth F1 pole of the season by beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.01s in the final stage of qualifying, but had to face the FIA stewards after an incident earlier in the session with Lando Norris.
Verstappen, who was driving slowly preparing for his first Q3 lap, almost collided with Norris who was behind him and had to go on to the grass. The stewards gave the Dutch driver a reprimand but allowed him to keep pole.
It means Verstappen is in prime position to seal his second F1 world drivers’ title this weekend, knowing victory and the fastest lap will clinch the championship.
With Leclerc second, he pushed Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz into third place, while outside title contender Sergio Perez qualified in fourth.
Verstappen holds a 104-point lead over Leclerc at the top of the F1 standings with five races to go, while Red Bull team-mate Perez remains in contention 106 points off the Dutch driver after his victory in Singapore.
In short, Verstappen needs to be 112 points clear at the end of the Japanese GP to clinch the title with four races to spare. Therefore, Verstappen must outscore Leclerc by eight points and Perez by six points to take the title in Japan.
Here’s how Verstappen can seal the F1 world title at the Japanese GP:
- If Verstappen wins and sets the fastest lap, he is champion
- If Verstappen wins without the fastest lap and Leclerc finishes lower than second
- If Verstappen finishes second, Leclerc finishes fifth without the fastest lap or sixth with the fastest lap or lower, Perez finishes fifth or lower
- If Verstappen finishes third with the fastest lap, Leclerc finishes sixth or lower and Perez finishes fifth or lower
- If Verstappen finishes third without the fastest lap, Leclerc finishes seventh or lower and Perez finishes fifth or lower
- If Verstappen finishes fourth, Leclerc finishes eighth or lower or Perez finishes seventh without the fastest lap or lower
- If Verstappen finishes fifth, Leclerc finishes ninth or lower and Perez finishes eighth or lower
- If Verstappen finishes sixth, Leclerc finishes 11th or lower and Perez is ninth or lower
Any alternative results which don’t fit into these multiple scenarios, the title fight rolls on to the United States GP.
When is the F1 Japanese Grand Prix?
Date: Sunday 9th October 2022
Start time: 6:00am BST, 2:00pm local time
The 18th round of the 2022 F1 season, the Japanese GP at Suzuka, gets underway at 2:00pm local time (6:00am BST) on Sunday 9th October.
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £20 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £33.99p per month.
How can I watch the F1 Japanese GP?
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Japanese GP, with the race shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Pre-race coverage will be starting at 4:30am ahead of the race start at 6:00am BST.
• Channels: Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event
• Start time: 4:30am BST, Sunday 9th October 2022
Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Japanese GP here.
When can I watch the F1 Japanese GP highlights?
In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Japanese GP at 12:30pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two-and-a-half hours, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.
For the entire 2022 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.
· Channel: Channel 4
· Start time: 12:30pm BST, Sunday 9th October 2022
Will the F1 Japanese GP be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2022 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.
Live coverage of the Japanese GP will start at 6:00am BST on BBC Radio 5 Live and on the BBC Sounds app.
Weather forecast for the F1 Japanese GP
Current weather forecasts predict mixed conditions at Suzuka, with a good chance of rain during the race. The temperature is expected to be 20 degrees Celsius for the start of the race, seven degrees colder than the Singapore GP last time out.
How many laps is the F1 Japanese GP?
The race is scheduled to complete 53 laps at Suzuka, covering a total race distance of 307.471km.
F1 Japanese GP starting grid
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Max Verstappen |
Red Bull | Red Bull | 1'29.304 | |
| 2 |  Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'29.314 | 0.010 |
| 3 |  Carlos Sainz |
Ferrari | Ferrari | 1'29.361 | 0.057 |
| 4 |  Sergio Perez |
Red Bull | Red Bull | 1'29.709 | 0.405 |
| 5 |  Esteban Ocon |
Alpine | Renault | 1'30.165 | 0.861 |
| 6 |  Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'30.261 | 0.957 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso |
Alpine | Renault | 1'30.322 | 1.018 |
| 8 | George Russell |
Mercedes | Mercedes | 1'30.389 | 1.085 |
| 9 |  Sebastian Vettel |
Aston Martin | Mercedes | 1'30.554 | 1.250 |
| 10 | Lando Norris |
McLaren | Mercedes | 1'31.003 | 1.699 |
| 11 |  Daniel Ricciardo |
McLaren | Mercedes | 1'30.659 | 1.355 |
| 12 |  Valtteri Bottas |
Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 1'30.709 | 1.405 |
| 13 |  Yuki Tsunoda |
AlphaTauri | Red Bull | 1'30.808 | 1.504 |
| 14 |  Zhou Guanyu |
Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | 1'30.953 | 1.649 |
| 15 | Mick Schumacher |
Haas | Ferrari | 1'31.439 | 2.135 |
| 16 |  Alex Albon |
Williams | Mercedes | 1'31.311 | 2.007 |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly |
AlphaTauri | Red Bull | 1'31.322 | 2.018 |
| 18 |  Kevin Magnussen |
Haas | Ferrari | 1'31.352 | 2.048 |
| 19 |  Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin | Mercedes | 1'31.419 | 2.115 |
| 20 | Nicholas Latifi |
Williams | Mercedes | 1'31.511 | 2.207 |
| View full results | |||||
