2022 Japanese Grand Prix

The (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.
__TOC__
==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. leads the Constructors' Championship, leading by 137 points and by 203 points.
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:
<P><P>
	Driver 	Driver 	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.
*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. 
*The gravel trap on the left-hand side of Turn 10 has been extended. 
*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. 
===Entry List ===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Max Verstappen 	Oracle Red Bull Racing 	 	RB18 	 	RBPTH001 1.6L V6t 	
3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	McLaren F1 Team 	 	MCL36 	 	F1 M13 1.6L V6t 	
4 	Lando Norris 	McLaren F1 Team 	 	MCL36 	 	F1 M13 1.6L V6t 	
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team 	 	AMR22 	 	F1 M13 1.6L V6t 	
6 	Nicholas Latifi 	Williams Racing 	 	FW44 	 	F1 M13 1.6L V6t 	
10 	Pierre Gasly 	Scuderia AlphaTauri 	 	AT03 	 	RBPTH001 1.6L V6t 	
11 	Sergio Pérez 	Oracle Red Bull Racing 	 	RB18 	 	RBPTH001 1.6L V6t 	
14 	Fernando Alonso 	BWT Alpine F1 Team 	 	A522 	 	E-Tech RE22 1.6L V6t 	
16 	Charles Leclerc 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	F1-75 	 	066/7 1.6L V6t 	
18 	Lance Stroll 	Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team 	 	AMR22 	 	F1 M13 1.6L V6t 	
20 	Kevin Magnussen 	Haas F1 Team 	 	VF-22 	 	066/7 1.6L V6t 	
22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	Scuderia AlphaTauri 	 	AT03 	 	RBPTH001 1.6L V6t 	
23 	Alexander Albon 	Williams Racing 	 	FW44 	 	F1 M13 1.6L V6t 	
24 	Guanyu Zhou 	Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN 	 	C42 	 	066/7 1.6L V6t 	
31 	Esteban Ocon 	BWT Alpine F1 Team 	 	A522 	 	E-Tech RE22 1.6L V6t 	
44 	Lewis Hamilton 	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team 	 	W13 	 	F1 M13 1.6L V6t 	
47 	Mick Schumacher 	Haas F1 Team 	 	VF-22 	 	066/7 1.6L V6t 	
55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	F1-75 	 	066/7 1.6L V6t 	
63 	George Russell 	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team 	 	W13 	 	F1 M13 1.6L V6t 	
77 	Valtteri Bottas 	Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN 	 	C42 	 	066/7 1.6L V6t 	
Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
== Practice==
===FP1===
===FP2 ===
There was a planned tire test for the 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 . . Also due the big crash in FP1, Mick Schumacher will not attend FP2 as he needs a chassis change.
===FP3 ===
===Practice Results===
The full practice results for the are outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Team 	FP1 	FP1 	FP2 	FP2 	FP3 	FP3 	 	 	 	 	
No. 	Driver 	Team 	Time 	Pos 	Time 	Pos 	Time 	Pos 	 	 	 	 	
1 	Max Verstappen 	 	1:43.362	6 	1:42.786	3 	1:30.671	1 	 	 	 	 	
3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	1:44.486	12 	1:46.030	17 	1:31.860	11 	 	 	 	 	
4 	Lando Norris 	 	1:43.889	8 	1:45.885	16 	1:31.747	8 	 	 	 	 	
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	1:48.090	20 	1:45.261	15 	1:32.222	14 	 	 	 	 	
6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	1:45.424	17 	1:44.962	12 	1:32.868	19 	 	 	 	 	
10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	1:44.878	16 	1:47.109	19 	1:32.881	20 	 	 	 	 	
11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	1:44.234	10 	1:42.834	4 	1:31.514	5 	 	 	 	 	
14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:42.248	1 	1:43.533	7 	1:31.320	4 	 	 	 	 	
16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	1:42.634	3 	1:44.709	11 	1:30.980	3 	 	 	 	 	
18 	Lance Stroll 	 	1:44.570	14 	1:46.776	18 	1:31.838	10 	 	 	 	 	
20 	Kevin Magnussen 	 	1:43.761	5 	1:43.187	5 	1:32.290	15 	 	 	 	 	
22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	1:46.192	19 	1:45.257	14 	1:32.377	17 	 	 	 	 	
23 	Alexander Albon 	 	1:44.791	15 	1:45.039	13 	1:31.946	12 	 	 	 	 	
24 	Guanyu Zhou 	 	1:44.429	11 	1:44.525	10 	1:32.385	18 	 	 	 	 	
31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	1:43.022	4 	1:43.884	9 	1:31.750	9 	 	 	 	 	
44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	1:44.558	13 	1:42.170	2 	1:31.589	7 	 	 	 	 	
47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	1:43.761	7 	 	 	1:32.290	16 	 	 	 	 	
55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr.	 	1:42.563	2 	1:43.204	6 	1:30.965	2 	 	 	 	 	
63 	George Russell 	 	1:46.103	18 	1:41.935	1 	1:31.530	6 	 	 	 	 	
77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	1:43.969	9 	1:43.733	8 	1:31.971	13 	 	 	 	 	
Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source:
==Qualifying==
===Q1 ===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	1 	
 Max Verstappen 	 	 	1 	1:30.224 	 	3 	1:30.346 	 	1 	1:29.304 	1
2 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	 	3 	1:30.402 	 	9 	1:30.486 	 	2 	1:20.314 	2
3 	55 	Carlos Sainz Jr. 	 	 	2 	1:30.336 	 	6 	1:30.444 	 	3 	1:29.361 	3
4 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	 	5 	1:30.622 	 	1 	1:29.925 	 	4 	1:29.709 	4
5 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	 	6 	1:30.696 	 	4 	1:30.357 	 	5 	1:30.165 	5
6 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	11 	1:30.906 	 	5 	1:30.443 	 	6 	1:30.261 	6
7 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	4 	1:30.683 	 	2 	1:30.343 	 	7 	1:30.322 	7
8 	63 	George Russell 	 	 	7 	1:30.865 	 	7 	1:30.465 	 	8 	1:30.389 	8
9 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	15 	1:31.256 	 	10 	1:30.656 	 	9 	1:30.554 	9
10 	4 	Lando Norris 	 	 	9 	1:30.881 	 	8 	1:30.473 	 	10 	1:31.003 	10
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
11 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	 	8 	1:30.880 	 	11 	1:30.659 	 	 	 	11
12 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	 	14 	1:31.226 	 	12 	1:30.709 	 	 	 	12
13 	22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	 	12 	1:31.130 	 	13 	1:30.808 	 	 	 	13
14 	24 	Guanyu Zhou 	 	 	10 	1:30.894 	 	14 	1:30.953 	 	 	 	14
15 	47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	 	13 	1:31.152 	 	15 	1:31.439 	 	 	 	15
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
16 	23 	Alexander Albon 	 	 	16 	1:31.311 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	 	17 	1:31.322 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
18 	20 	Kevin Magnussen 	 	 	18 	1:31.352 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
19 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	 	19 	1:31.419 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
20 	6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	 	20 	1:31.511 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539 	107% time - 1:36.539
Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022	Source:" - Qualifying Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), accessed on 8 October 2022
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
===Grid===
Show Grid
====Grid Penalty ====
*Nicholas Latifi will serve a 5-grid penalty due to a collision between himself and Guanyu Zhou at the previous round, .
*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
==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.
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.
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 season to closer match the teams' intentions when the rule was written.
The deployment and position of the recovery vehicle on the track was criticised after 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. 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.
===Race Classification===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	1 	Max Verstappen 	 	28 	3:01:44.004 	1 	25
2 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	28 	+27.066 	4 	18
3 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	28 	+31.763 	2 	15
4 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	28 	+39.685 	5 	12
5 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	28 	+40.326 	6 	10
6 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	28 	+46.358 	9 	8
7 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	28 	+46.369 	7 	6
8 	63 	George Russell 	 	28 	+47.661 	8 	4
9 	6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	28 	+1:10.143 	19 	2
10 	4 	Lando Norris 	 	28 	+1:10.782 	10 	1
11 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	28 	+1:12.877 	11 	
12 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	28 	+1:13.904 	18 	
13 	22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	28 	+1:15.599 	13 	
14 	20 	Kevin Magnussen 	 	28 	+1:16.016 	17 	
15 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	28 	+1:16.496 	12 	
16 	24 	Guanyu Zhou 	 	28 	+1:17.043 	14 	
17 	47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	28 	+1:32.523 	15 	
18 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	28 	+1:48.091 	 	
19 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	0 	Spun Off 	3 	
20 	23 	Alexander Albon 	 	0 	Gearbox Failure 	16 	
Source:" - Race Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), 9 October 2022	Source:" - Race Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), 9 October 2022	Source:" - Race Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), 9 October 2022	Source:" - Race Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), 9 October 2022	Source:" - Race Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), 9 October 2022	Source:" - Race Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), 9 October 2022	Source:" - Race Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), 9 October 2022	Source:" - Race Result" (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2022), 9 October 2022
*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.
*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.
==Milestones ==
*40th race entry for Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher.
* 1st time that Nicholas Latifi score points since .
*1st fastest lap of Guanyu Zhou and his country
==Standings==
Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Max Verstappen 	366 	
2 	Sergio Pérez 	253 	1
3 	Charles Leclerc 	252 	1
4 	George Russell 	207 	
5 	Carlos Sainz 	202 	
6 	Lewis Hamilton 	180 	
7 	Lando Norris 	101 	
8 	Esteban Ocon 	78 	
9 	Fernando Alonso 	65 	
10 	Valtteri Bottas 	46 	
11 	Sebastian Vettel 	32 	1
12 	Daniel Ricciardo 	29 	1
13 	Pierre Gasly 	23 	
14 	Kevin Magnussen 	22 	
15 	Lance Stroll 	13 	
16 	Mick Schumacher 	12 	
17 	Yuki Tsunoda 	11 	
18 	Guanyu Zhou 	6 	
19 	Alexander Albon 	4 	
20 	Nicholas Latifi 	2 	1
21 	Nyck de Vries 	2 	1
Only point-scoring drivers are shown.
Constructors' World Championship	Constructors' World Championship	Constructors' World Championship	Constructors' World Championship
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	619 	
2 	 	454 	
3 	 	387 	
4 	 	143 	1
5 	 	130 	1
6 	 	52 	
7 	 	45 	
8 	 	34 	
9 	 	34 	
10 	 	8 	
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2022 Grands Prix
Category:Japanese Grand Prix