The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Honda Japanese Grand Prix 2022) was the 18th race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship, held at Suzuka International Racing Course on the weekend of October 7 and October 9 2022.
Background[]
Championship standings before the race[]
Max Verstappen leads the Drivers' Championship by 104 points from Charles Leclerc, second, and teammate Sergio Pérez, third, by 106. Red Bull leads the Constructors' Championship, leading Ferrari by 137 points and Mercedes by 203 points.[1] Verstappen can secure his second World Drivers' Championship in a row. He needs to outscore Leclerc by eight points and Pérez by six. Verstappen can win the title as follows:[2]
| Pos. | Driver | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 Max Verstappen
|
 Charles Leclerc
|
 Sergio Pérez
| |
| 1st with fastest lap | Position irrelevant | Position irrelevant | |
| 1st | 3rd or lower | Position irrelevant | |
| 2nd with fastest lap | 5th or lower | 4th or lower | |
| 2nd | 5th or lower without fastest lap | 4th or lower without fastest lap | |
| 3rd with fastest lap | 6th or lower | 5th or lower | |
| 3rd | 7th or lower | 6th or lower | |
| 4th with fastest lap | 8th or lower | 7th or lower | |
| 4th | 8th or lower without fastest lap | 7th or lower without fastest lap | |
| 5th with fastest lap | 9th or lower | 8th or lower | |
| 5th | 9th without fastest lap or lower | 8th or lower without fastest lap | |
| 6th with fastest lap | 10th or lower | 9th or lower | |
| 6th | Out of the points | 9th or lower without fastest lap | |
Track changes[]
- The DRS detection point was moved further back, being positioned 40 metres (130 ft) after turn 15.[3]
- The track has been resurfaced in Turn 8. The artificial grass has been replaced with asphalt. The kerbs on exit have been replaced with double kerbs. [4]
- The gravel trap on the left-hand side of Turn 10 has been extended. [4]
- The artificial grass at Turn 16 has been replaced with asphalt in line with FIA requirements. Part of the pit lane surface has been renovated and painted with FIA-certified non-slip paint. [4]
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix is outlined below:
Practice[]
FP1[]
FP2[]
There was a planned tire test for the 2023 Pirelli tires, but the testing was cancelled due to the wet weather on track. However, the teams went ahead with the 90-minute session since it was too last-minute to switch back to the usual 60-minute session. This test has been rescheduled for FP2 at the Mexico City Grand Prix. [6]. Also due the big crash in FP1, Mick Schumacher will not attend FP2 as he needs a chassis change.[7]
FP3[]
Practice Results[]
The full practice results for the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix are outlined below:
| No. | Driver | Team | FP1 | FP2 | FP3 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Pos | Time | Pos | Time | Pos | ||||||||
| 1 | Max Verstappen
|
 Red Bull
|
1:43.362 | 6 | 1:42.786 | 3 | 1:30.671 | 1 | |||||
| 3 |  Daniel Ricciardo
|
 McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:44.486 | 12 | 1:46.030 | 17 | 1:31.860 | 11 | |||||
| 4 | Lando Norris
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:43.889 | 8 | 1:45.885 | 16 | 1:31.747 | 8 | |||||
| 5 |  Sebastian Vettel
|
Aston Martin-Mercedes
|
1:48.090 | 20 | 1:45.261 | 15 | 1:32.222 | 14 | |||||
| 6 |  Nicholas Latifi
|
Williams-Mercedes
|
1:45.424 | 17 | 1:44.962 | 12 | 1:32.868 | 19 | |||||
| 10 |  Pierre Gasly
|
 AlphaTauri-RBPT
|
1:44.878 | 16 | 1:47.109 | 19 | 1:32.881 | 20 | |||||
| 11 | Sergio Pérez
|
Red Bull
|
1:44.234 | 10 | 1:42.834 | 4 | 1:31.514 | 5 | |||||
| 14 |  Fernando Alonso
|
Alpine-Renault
|
1:42.248 | 1 | 1:43.533 | 7 | 1:31.320 | 4 | |||||
| 16 | Charles Leclerc
|
Ferrari
|
1:42.634 | 3 | 1:44.709 | 11 | 1:30.980 | 3 | |||||
| 18 | Lance Stroll
|
Aston Martin-Mercedes
|
1:44.570 | 14 | 1:46.776 | 18 | 1:31.838 | 10 | |||||
| 20 |  Kevin Magnussen
|
 Haas-Ferrari
|
1:43.761 | 5 | 1:43.187 | 5 | 1:32.290 | 15 | |||||
| 22 |  Yuki Tsunoda
|
AlphaTauri-RBPT
|
1:46.192 | 19 | 1:45.257 | 14 | 1:32.377 | 17 | |||||
| 23 |  Alexander Albon
|
Williams-Mercedes
|
1:44.791 | 15 | 1:45.039 | 13 | 1:31.946 | 12 | |||||
| 24 |  Guanyu Zhou
|
 Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
1:44.429 | 11 | 1:44.525 | 10 | 1:32.385 | 18 | |||||
| 31 | Esteban Ocon
|
Alpine-Renault
|
1:43.022 | 4 | 1:43.884 | 9 | 1:31.750 | 9 | |||||
| 44 | Lewis Hamilton
|
Mercedes
|
1:44.558 | 13 | 1:42.170 | 2 | 1:31.589 | 7 | |||||
| 47 | Mick Schumacher
|
Haas-Ferrari
|
1:43.761 | 7 | DNP [7] | 1:32.290 | 16 | ||||||
| 55 | Carlos Sainz, Jr.
|
Ferrari
|
1:42.563 | 2 | 1:43.204 | 6 | 1:30.965 | 2 | |||||
| 63 | George Russell
|
Mercedes
|
1:46.103 | 18 | 1:41.935 | 1 | 1:31.530 | 6 | |||||
| 77 |  Valtteri Bottas
|
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
1:43.969 | 9 | 1:43.733 | 8 | 1:31.971 | 13 | |||||
| Source: [8][9][10] | |||||||||||||
Qualifying[]
Q1[]
Q2[]
Q3[]
Qualifying Results[]
The full qualifying results for the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix are outlined below:
- Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
Grid[]
| Pos. | Pos. | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Driver | |
| ______________ | ||
| Row 1 | 1 | ______________ |
| Verstappen
|
2 | |
| ______________ | Leclerc
| |
| Row 2 | 3 | ______________ |
| Sainz
|
4 | |
| ______________ | Pérez
| |
| Row 3 | 5 | ______________ |
| Ocon
|
6 | |
| ______________ | Hamilton
| |
| Row 4 | 7 | ______________ |
| Alonso
|
8 | |
| ______________ | Russell
| |
| Row 5 | 9 | ______________ |
| Vettel
|
10 | |
| ______________ | Norris
| |
| Row 6 | 11 | ______________ |
| Ricciardo
|
12 | |
| ______________ | Bottas
| |
| Row 7 | 13 | ______________ |
| Tsunoda
|
14 | |
| ______________ | Zhou
| |
| Row 8 | 15 | ______________ |
| Schumacher
|
16 | |
| ______________ | Albon
| |
| Row 9 | 17 | ______________ |
| Magnussen
|
18 | |
| ______________ | Stroll
| |
| Row 10 | 19 | ______________ |
| Latifi
|
20 | |
| ______________ | Gasly |
Grid Penalty[]
- Nicholas Latifi will serve a 5-grid penalty due to a collision between himself and Guanyu Zhou at the previous round, Singapore Grand Prix.[12]
- Pierre Gasly is required to start from the pit lane due to a breach of Article 40.9 b) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations[13]
Race[]
Race report[]
The race started at 14:00 local time on 9 October 2022 under torrential rain, and was red-flagged on lap 2 after Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. lost control into the hairpin of the opening lap and aquaplaned into the barriers. A recovery vehicle was immediately dispatched, with several drivers passing the tractor at speed under double-yellow flags on the second lap.[14]
The race resumed at 16:15 local time behind the safety car. Only twenty-eight laps were completed before the race was curtailed due it passing the three-hour time limit, with Verstappen taking his twelfth victory of the season. Leclerc, who finished second on track, was given a five-second penalty for cutting the final chicane whist defending from Pérez in third, which demoted him to third behind Pérez. The win meant that Verstappen took the Championship title, leading Pérez by 113 points, with 112 points still available.
Post-race[]
As less than 75% of the scheduled race distance had been completed, the majority of the paddock were under the impression that Verstappen would not be awarded full points, Verstappen instead earning 19 points and Leclerc gained 12, which would have left Verstappen one point short of claiming the championship. Verstappen himself expressed surprise in the cooldown room that full points had been awarded, making him champion.[15]
The confusion regarding the number of points awarded was as a result of a rule change introduced for the 2022 season. Although historically races curtailed on such a scale as this Grand Prix would see half-points awarded, the wording of the new regulation only applied "If a race is suspended, and cannot be resumed"; as the race was resumed and completed short, the FIA awarded full points under a strict reading of the regulations. Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner expressed his view that the rule would be revised for the 2023 season to closer match the teams' intentions when the rule was written.[16]
The deployment and position of the recovery vehicle on the track was criticised after AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly narrowly missed the vehicle due to poor visibility, angrily remonstrated that "[he] could have killed [himself]" if he had lost control and hit the vehicle, even at reduced speed.[17] Gasly also attacked the deployment as "disrespectful" to the memory and family of his childhood friend Jules Bianchi, who suffered fatal injuries at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix when he crashed into a recovery vehicle after aquaplaning off the circuit. Bianchi's godson Charles Leclerc also said that the sport should learn from Bianchi's death and not have similar issues in the future, and Bianchi's father wrote on Instagram that the race officials had "no respect" for either the life of the drivers or Bianchi's memory. The FIA confirmed there would be an investigation into the deployment of recovery vehicles.[18]
Race Classification[]
The full results for the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix are outlined below:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen
|
Red Bull
|
28 | 3:01:44.004 | 1 | 25 |
| 2 | 11 | Sergio Pérez
|
Red Bull
|
28 | +27.066 | 4 | 18 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc
|
Ferrari
|
28 | +31.763 | 2 | 15 |
| 4 | 31 | Esteban Ocon
|
Alpine-Renault
|
28 | +39.685 | 5 | 12 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton
|
Mercedes
|
28 | +40.326 | 6 | 10 |
| 6 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel
|
Aston Martin-Mercedes
|
28 | +46.358 | 9 | 8 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso
|
Alpine-Renault
|
28 | +46.369 | 7 | 6 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell
|
Mercedes
|
28 | +47.661 | 8 | 4 |
| 9 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi
|
Williams-Mercedes
|
28 | +1:10.143 | 19 | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | Lando Norris
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
28 | +1:10.782 | 10 | 1 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
28 | +1:12.877 | 11 | |
| 12 | 18 | Lance Stroll
|
Aston Martin-Mercedes
|
28 | +1:13.904 | 18 | |
| 13 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda
|
AlphaTauri-RBPT
|
28 | +1:15.599 | 13 | |
| 14 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen
|
Haas-Ferrari
|
28 | +1:16.016 | 17 | |
| 15 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas
|
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
28 | +1:16.496 | 12 | |
| 16 | 24 | Guanyu Zhou
|
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
28 | +1:17.043 | 14 | |
| 17 | 47 | Mick Schumacher
|
Haas-Ferrari
|
28 | +1:32.523 | 15 | |
| 18 | 10 | Pierre Gasly
|
AlphaTauri-RBPT
|
28 | +1:48.091 | PL | |
| 19 | 55 | Carlos Sainz, Jr.
|
Ferrari
|
0 | Spun Off | 3 | |
| 20 | 23 | Alexander Albon
|
Williams-Mercedes
|
0 | Gearbox Failure | 16 | |
| Source:[19] | |||||||
- Guanyu Zhou set the fastest lap time; however, he did not get an extra point because he did not finish in the top 10.
- Charles Leclerc originally finished second. However, he receives a five-second penalty as he left the track with advantages gained after the race has ended, which drops him down to third place.[20]
- Pierre Gasly originally finished seventeenth. However, he receives a Drive-Through penalty after the race ended (20 seconds added to his race time) due to overspeeding during red flag conditions.[21]
Milestones[]
- 40th race entry for Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher.
- 1st time that Nicholas Latifi score points since 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.
- 1st fastest lap of Guanyu Zhou and his country
Standings[]
Only point-scoring drivers are shown. |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References[]
Images and Videos:
References:
- ↑ "Singapore 2022 – Championship". 2 October 2022. https://www.statsf1.com/en/2022/singapour/championnat.aspx. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ↑ "Points permutations: What Verstappen needs to do to win his second drivers’ crown in Japan". 3 October 2022. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.points-permutations-what-verstappen-needs-to-do-to-win-his-second-drivers.2y2rFRR2d2o6LRHPijDzLP.html. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ↑ "2022 Japanese Grand Prix – Circuit Map". FIA. 5 October 2022. https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2022%20Japanese%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Event%20Notes%20-%20Circuit%20Map.pdf. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "F1 - 2022 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX PREVIEW" (in en). FiA. 5 October 2022. https://www.fia.com/news/f1-2022-japanese-grand-prix-preview. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ↑ 2022 Japanese Grand Prix - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ "Rain forces Pirelli’s planned Japanese GP tyre test to be moved to Mexico weekend | Formula 1®" (in English). https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.rain-forces-pirellis-planned-japanese-gp-tyre-test-to-be-moved-to-mexico.1FwmhU7pM5mVQLo6GzT2F6.html. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Schumacher to miss second practice at Suzuka after FP1 crash forces chassis change | Formula 1®" (in en). www.formula1.com. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.schumacher-to-miss-second-practice-at-suzuka-after-fp1-crash-forces-chassis.5ZtSjKgOqGXDRSlqvbZcES.html.
- ↑ "2022 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 1 Results". Formula1.com (Formula One Administration). 7 October 2022. https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2022/races/1134/japan/practice-1.html. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ "2022 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 2 Results". Formula1.com (Formula One Administration). 7 October 2022. https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2022/races/1134/japan/practice-2.html. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ↑ "2022 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 3 Results". Formula1.com (Formula One Administration). 8 October 2022. https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2022/races/1134/japan/practice-3.html. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ↑ "2022 Japanese Grand Prix - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022
- ↑ "Offence - Car 6 - causing a collision with car 24" (in English). FiA. p. 1. https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2022%20Singapore%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Offence%20-%20Car%206%20-%20Causing%20a%20collision%20with%20car%2024.pdf. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ↑ "Offence - Car 10 - Changes under Parc Ferme". https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2022%20Japanese%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Offence%20-%20Car%2010%20-%20Changes%20under%20Parc%20Ferme.pdf. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ↑ "'We lost Jules because of this': F1 drivers furious over crane" (in en-GB). 9 October 2022. https://www.racefans.net/2022/10/09/we-lost-jules-because-of-this-mistake-f1-drivers-condemn-use-of-crane-in-wet-race/. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ↑ Valantine, Henry (9 October 2022). "FIA explain how Max Verstappen was able to clinch World Championship in Japan" (in en). PlanetF1. https://www.planetf1.com/news/fia-explain-max-verstappen-world-champion-points/.
- ↑ Benson, Andrew (9 October 2022). "Verstappen class only certainty on 'weird' day for F1" (in en-GB). BBC Sport. https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/63192820.
- ↑ Takle, Abhishek (9 October 2022). "'I could have killed myself': Gasly fumes over tractor near-miss" (in en). https://www.smh.com.au/sport/motorsport/i-could-have-killed-myself-gasly-fumes-over-tractor-near-miss-20221009-p5boe2.html. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ↑ Benson, Andrew (9 October 2022). "Anger as truck triggers memories of Bianchi death". BBC Sport. https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/63190448.
- ↑ "2022 Japanese Grand Prix - Race Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), 9 October 2022
- ↑ "Offence - Car 16 - Leaving the track and Gaining an advantage". https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2022%20Japanese%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Offence%20-%20Car%2016%20-%20Leaving%20the%20track%20and%20gaining%20an%20advantage.pdf. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ↑ "Offence - Car 10 - Red Flag Incident in T12". https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2022%20Japanese%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Offence%20-%20Car%2010%20-%20Red%20Flag%20Incident%20in%20T12.pdf. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
| V T E | Japanese Grand Prix
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Circuits | Fuji (1976–1977, 2007–2008), Suzuka (1987–2006, 2009–present) |  |
| Races | 1976 • 1977 • 1978–1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 • | |
| See also | Pacific Grand Prix |
| v·d·e | Nominate this page for Featured Article |