Max Verstappen has won a shortened 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, while Daniel Ricciardo narrowly missed out on a points paying position at Suzuka.
 
The win also sealed the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship for the Red Bull driver, who built an unassailable lead with four races still to run.
 
The race itself started in heavy rain and it wasn’t long before the wet weather claimed its first casualty.
 
Carlos Sainz’s day ended early when he ended up hitting a wall, which brought out the safety car and ultimately a red flag as the rain got heavier and conditions became unsafe.
 
After a lengthy break, the race resumed as a time certain affair, leaving approximately 40 minutes of green flag racing.
 
While Charles Leclerc would cross the line in second place, he was handed a post-race penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage – handing Verstappen the Championship and fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez a second-place finish.
 
For Ricciardo, it was a mixed day out at a soggy Suzuka. Starting 11th, Ricciardo would climb as high as second during the restart as others pitted around him, but that late tyre switch meant he lost plenty of spaces and would finish the race where he started – one spot behind teammate Lando Norris.
 
The Formula 1 battle now heads to North America, with the United States Grand Prix to take place on 22-24 October.