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Confusion and tentativeness reigned supreme for a while in Japan following the Suzuka Grand Prix on Oct. 10 after Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the 2022 World Drivers' Championship.

But no one, not even himself, could confirm at that time that he had really won it.

As the video above showed, Verstappen was in the cooldown room when he was asked by his teammate Sergio Perez if he was the world champion.

Verstappen replied: “No. Not yet.”

The race was marred by poor track visibility due to heavy rain and rules that were not immediately clear.

Told he had won

However, John Herbert, British former racing driver and current television announcer for Sky Sports F1, entered the room and insisted that Verstappen had won the championship.

“I am? You sure?”, was the 25-year-old racer's incredulous reaction.

Racing in the rain

The race began with a tumultuous three laps, with the spray from the wet track making it nearly impossible to see ahead, resulting in a series of incidents, which included AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly narrowly avoiding a tractor on track and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz crashing out of the race.

The red flag was waved, followed by a lengthy delay as race control waited for a suitable window to continue the race.

With just 50 minutes before the three hour time limit -- races have to end three hours after the stipulated start time, the pouring rain had stopped and conditions were good enough to get going.

However, there wasn’t enough time to run the full race distance of 53 laps, so whichever driver who crossed the line when the 50-minute timer was up was declared the winner.

After completing 28 laps, the Dutchman crossed the finishing line to win with a 26-second gap between him and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

World Champion 2022!!!

We’ve been absolutely on it, the whole year. A season where we had a difficult start but kept it cool, bounced back and never let go. pic.twitter.com/lRX9mj1siw

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) October 9, 2022

How short is too short?

Many teams were under the impression that staggered points would be issued, as just over half of the full race distance was completed.

When more than 50 per cent, but less than 75 per cent of the race was completed, 75 per cent of the usual amount of points would be awarded.

According to the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, full points, rather than staggered points, could be awarded since the race was resumed after a rain delay, giving Verstappen a 113-point lead in the world championship with only 112 left to win on the track.

This awarded him the 2022 World’s Drivers’ Championship.

Another one bites the dust

Meanwhile, the battle for second place fell to Perez and Leclerc.

In an unprecedented turn of events, Leclerc makes a mistake and drove off the track.

While he did not lose his place to Perez, race stewards awarded him a 5-second penalty for gaining an advantage off the track. He was later demoted to third.

As Leclerc was Verstappen’s title contender, the former being demoted to third and the latter winning sealed the deal for the championship.

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(Un)lucky

The confusion and arcane race rules definitely dampened the celebratory spirit, as many fans took to social media to bemoan the lack of clarity.

Verstappen also cannot seem to catch a break, as this was his second consecutive championship win that is marred by controversy.

In 2021, a split-second decision by Race Director Michael Masi gave him the edge over competitor Lewis Hamilton, culminating in a blockbuster championship ending.

This year, Verstappen has enjoyed a dominant season, winning 12 of 18 races.

He only needs one more victory from the remaining four more races to equal the record for most Grand Prix victories won in a single season – currently held by Michael Schumacher in 2004 and Sebastian Vettel in 2013.

Top Photo via Javalinsta YouTube & Oracle Red Bull Racing