Red Bull's Max Verstappen has clinched his second consecutive Formula One title after winning the rain-curtailed Japanese Grand Prix as his closest rival Charles Leclerc was slammed with a post-race penalty.
The 25-year-old Dutch driver steered clear ahead of second position Charles Leclerc who was in a constant battle for 2nd place with Red Bull's Sergio Perez.
The Monegasque driver drove past the chequered flag in the 2nd position only to realise that he had been slapped with a five second penalty and dropped to third place after cutting across the final chicane in the race.
“It’s a crazy feeling of course as I didn’t expect it when I crossed the line,” Verstappen said after his race.
Verstappen was declared champion as he now has a 113-point gap between him and his closest competitor Perez who got the second place after the race.
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