Verstappen before hearing big news: 'Glad we could race'

Max Verstappen took the Japanese Grand Prix victory, but great confusion followed after the race. Is he now world champion or not? Everyone was convinced he was not, until the FIA unexpectedly declared him the 2022 champion after all.

"Just very happy to race in the end. It was raining quite heavily and just very tough for us to drive. Luckily we got quite a good amount of laps in. The car was flying. Pleased to win here but happy to see the fans sticking around," Verstappen said even before hearing the news.

Verstappen champion or not?

"I'm glad we had a race. Leaving here without a race would have been terrible. It would have been great to win the championship here, but we still have a chance at the next race," he added.

Verstappen was not yet informed, but during his interview, a time penalty was awarded to Charles Leclerc which changed things in the standings. Full points appeared to have been awarded, where it was widely assumed that half points would be handed out. As a result, Verstappen himself was not sure whether he was world champion or not.