Mercedes rushed to check F1 rules as Max Verstappen crowned champion

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Mercedes checked the FIA rule book after Max Verstappen clinched his second F1 crown, according to Ted Kravitz. The Sky Sports F1 pundit revealed Red Bull’s rivals got involved in checking the rules despite them not being involved in the championship battle. 

Kravitz said: “There was an incredible scene on this Red Bull pit wall. 

“While all the engineers and mechanics were running up the pit lane, Max Verstappen’s own team manager Jonathan Wheatley was reading the rules to check the interpretation that Formula One had done that actually made Max Verstappen world champion. 

“I can tell you that Mercedes were also doing exactly the same thing. They were trying to work out, hang on, what is this interpretation of the rules of resuming a race that means full points are awarded. 

“It means by extension that Max Verstappen is world champion. It took Mercedes about as long as it did take Red Bull themselves to figure out it is the case. And because the wording is a ‘resumption of the race means full points’ that we can finally say that Max Verstappen is the 2022 world champion.”

Verstappen was initially confused as to whether he had won the championship as the race did not run a full distance. However, the FIA’s wording makes clear that half points would only be dished out if the race was not restarted. 

Article 5.6 reads: “If a race is suspended in accordance with Article 57, and cannot be resumed, points for each title will be awarded in accordance with the following criteria: If the leader has completed 50 per cent but less than 75 per cent of the scheduled race distance, points will be allocated from Column 3.”

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Christian Horner was left baffled after the checking flag, admitting the team were confused of the final result. He explained: “We thought we were one point short, we didn’t think full points were being awarded.”

Verstappen was not set to win the title until Charles Leclerc made an error at the final corner. The Ferrari star ran wide into the chicane but held on to take second from Sergio Perez. 

The Monegasque was awarded a five second penalty immediately after the race which handed Perez P2. It allowed Verstappen to secure more than an eight point cushion over Leclerc to secure his second crown four races early.

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