On an already demanding track, with the aggravating circumstance of poor visibility conditions due to the rain and a race "paused" for more than two hours, what stood out at Suzuka was the skill of the riders. There have also been several surprises in terms of the championship as well as at Fanta F1. The according to title of Max Verstappen it reached the second match point of the season, the ideal one given that it was a Honda race, back on the bonnet of the RB18. The perfect setting for a title about which there is little to discuss except perhaps in the form in which it was communicated.
Max knew he was the 2022 world champion, for several races now. He officially found out however anomalously, that he also took away some magic at the time of the coronation. No team radio with the famous phrase pronounced by Horner first with Vettel and last year with Max in Abu Dhabi: “YOU ARE A WORLD CHAMPION“. Max crosses the finish line like a rocket, he doesn't even know it's the last lap. He'll find out in turn 2. He already thinks the party is postponed in Austin. He is not even framed because the direction follows a much more important duel from a global point of view, the one between Leclerc and Perez. Even after knowing about the penalty taken from Leclerc he doesn't realize he's really world champion. He realizes it in the waiting room before stepping onto the podium, eyes wide and a “truly??”.
But now that the title has been awarded we can continue to enjoy the show without too much pressure for another 4 races. In view of the next appointment in Austin, so let's see who goes up and who goes down in Fanta F1!
WHO GOES UP
Max Verstappen: On paper he can dominate for the remaining 4 races, as he did from Belgium onwards. Insatiable, calculating, he reached the finish line with practically lucid and perfect intermediates. Like his world record palmares, also the Fanta F1 is updated with a +1.
Updated value: 42 Masi
Nicholas Latifi: An extraordinary score that of Nicholas who is preparing to to leave the Circus at the end of this season. In one of the most difficult races of the season he does not lose concentration and resists until the finish line in P9. Driven by the team and with the walls a little further away it can be a nice wild card. We cannot fail to reward him for the first points obtained in the league by.
Updated value: 13 Masi
Stephen Ocon: Maybe after this performance he won't be the most underrated driver in the Circus. He puts a seven-time world champion like Lewis Hamilton against the wall, keeping him behind not for a few laps but until the end of the GP! An excellent weekend for an elusive Alpine.
Updated value: 18 Masi
WHO COMES OFF
We also decided to depreciate 3 riders, who weren't particularly enthusiastic at Suzuka.
Alexander albon: His race practically never started. Williams had the great opportunity to also allow Albon to fight for the top 10 with the move to the intermediates immediately. Unfortunately, the Thai driver's GP ended immediately with a retirement due to a problem with his single-seater. It goes down by 1 Masi.
Updated value: 14 Masi
Daniel Ricardo: At the beginning of the weekend he officially said that we won't see him in F1 next year. And it will be difficult to see him return given the cutthroat competition. His latest Suzuka unfortunately does not exalt. In these two years in McLaren he has not managed to be incisive and constant and this has had a negative impact especially from a constructors perspective.
Updated value: 16 Masi
Pierre Gasly: As far as his struggle with the FIA both sacrosanct is also the penalty received. The tractor shouldn't have been there, but even exceeding the speed limit is a silly risk. He offered his side to the FIA, which couldn't wait to come out in the cleanest way possible. His average is half that of a driver like Sebastian Vettel, in a car that is less competitive on paper. He must necessarily go down in quotation to Fanta F1.
Updated value: 19 Masi
