Red Bull’s manufacturers’ title is already safely in the bag, now the checkered flag can also soon be waved for Max Verstappen in his world champion races.
The 25-year-old Dutchman currently has 400 points on the drivers’ points ladder and he enjoys a lead of 177 points over Sergio Perez in second place.
And if everything goes according to plan, Verstappen can pop the world champion’s sparkling wine corks during the next sprint race in Qatar.
The last Suzuka race was his 13th win of the year and he is on course to break his record of 15 race victories in a single season.
After the speed bump in Singapore, where he had to settle for fifth place, the flying Dutchman was back to his best in Japan: His top lap time was more than a second faster than any of his rivals’ best efforts.
“It was an incredible weekend, it’s great to win in Japan and the race car was firing on all pistons. However, it is just as important to reap the manufacturers’ title and I am very proud of the whole team,” said Verstappen after his latest triumph.
Needless to say, team boss Christian Horner is in his element with Verstappen and co’s great performances.
“It is thanks to everyone’s hard work that we can celebrate results and achievements like these. In addition, Max is just on another level and he once again came up with an incredible performance,” said the 49-year-old Brit.
The next race is on October 8 in Qatar.
Driver scoring:
- Max Verstappen: 400 points
- Sergio Perez: 223 points
- Lewis Hamilton: 190 points
- Fernando Alonso: 174 points
- Carlos Sainz: 150 points
- Charles Leclerc: 135 points
- Lando Norris: 115 points
- George Russell: 115 points
- Oscar Piastri: 57 points
- Lance Stroll: 47 points
Manufacturer Punctuation:
- Red Bull: 623 points
- Mercedes: 305 points
- Ferrari: 285 points
- Aston Martin: 221 points
- McLaren: 172 points.
