Can Max Verstappen wrap up the Championship title this weekend amid Red Bull’s budget-cap saga?

The Dutchman mentioned that he will need to be ‘perfect’ over the duration of the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix weekend to wrap up his second title. This comes after a lamentable weekend in the humid and rain-drenched locale of Singapore where the Dutchman only managed to finish in P7.

A similar weather forecast in Japan could provide another theatrical race at the Fuji Speedway in Suzuka for the weekend. With a high probability of rain expected for the first two practice sessions and a chance of it again on Sunday, the grid may be shaken up once again.

While uncertain weather brews above, drama looms amid fresh allegations that Red Bull significantly breached the $145 million budget cap during the 2021 season. If the unproven rumours are realised as truth, Max Verstappen may be stripped of his 2021 World Drivers’ Championship title in a nail-biting season that went down to the final few laps in the final Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner threatened to sue rivals for their ‘hugely defamatory’ and ‘totally unacceptable’ statements, declaring that Red Bull had come under the cap while questioning the source of the leaks.

This contentious off-track topic could be central throughout the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix weekend while Ferrari will look to emulate their double podium from last weekend. With marginally less performance than the RB18, the two Ferrari drivers will hope to add to their team’s points tally in order to secure a constructors’ second place after the Mercedes mid-season threat.

Important times:

• Practice 3 (October 8): 04:00 – 05:00.
• Qualifying (October 8): 07:00 – 08:00.
• Race (October 9): 06:00 – 08:00.