Red Bull star Max Verstappen has his second chance to secure the Formula 1 drivers championship during this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
F1 has not raced at Suzuka since 2019, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the popular race to be cancelled.
Verstappen can secure his second-consecutive title this week, capping off a dominant season.
Only teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc can still, mathematically, win the championship, which has five races remaining.
Verstappen will be the world champion if he finishes the race 112 points or more ahead of his two rivals in the standings.
To do this, the Dutchman will need to score eight points more than Leclerc on Sunday, and six points more than Perez.
He can achieve this with a victory on Sunday afternoon and a bonus point for the fastest lap.
If he does not achieve this, these are the other ways he can win the title at Suzuka:
Verstappen |
Leclerc |
Perez |
|---|---|---|
1st |
3rd or lower |
Finishing position irrelevant |
2nd |
5th or lower without bonus point |
4th or lower without bonus point |
2nd with bonus point |
5th or lower |
4th or lower |
3rd |
7th or lower |
6th or lower |
3rd with bonus point |
6th or lower |
5th or lower |
4th |
8th or lower without bonus point |
7th or lower without bonus point |
4th with bonus point |
8th or lower |
7th or lower |
5th |
9th or lower without bonus point |
8th or lower without bonus point |
5th with bonus point |
9th or lower |
8th or lower |
6th |
11th or lower |
9th or lower without bonus point |
6th with bonus point |
10th or lower |
9th or lower |
Verstappen has won 11 races this season, two shy of the all-time season record of 13 held by Michael Schumacher (2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2013).
The Dutchman could have wrapped up the title last time out in Singapore but finished seventh, while Perez and Leclerc were first and second, respectively.
Meanwhile, the battle for the constructors' championship is guaranteed to continue until the next race in Austin, Texas.
Red Bull holds a lead of 137 points over Ferrari, with a maximum of 235 points still up for grabs.
