To this woman within the FIA, Verstappen owes award of world title

Emily Billingham works as a systems analyst for the FIA and was the first to realise that Verstappen was sure of the world title with four Grands Prix to go. Speaking to German BILD the British woman talks about the denouement of the Japanese GP and her role in it.

"It was clear to me that there would be full points when the race resumed. When Verstappen crossed the finish line, the championship was not yet decided," says Billingham, who at the time thought Verstappen's lead would not be big enough. However, that changed when the stewards imposed a five-second time penalty on Leclerc. "Because he dropped back to third, I realised we had a world champion," she said.

These were exciting minutes for Billingham too, as she did want to be sure. An awful lot was happening, but she managed to keep her cool. "I kept calculating because I wanted to make sure it was right for such an important decision," she said. She then informed her colleagues, who then informed Verstappen, Red Bull and the rest. According to BILD, Verstappen owes the award of the title to Billingham: "Maybe I will get a card from him with nice words."