Race report Before the race started, voice actress, singer and narrator
Nana Mizuki sang the Japanese national anthem. The race started at 14:00 local time on 9 October 2022 under torrential rain (which was the reason for so many incidents in the race) and was
red-flagged on lap 2 after Ferrari driver
Carlos Sainz Jr. lost control exiting 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.
Alex Albon also retired due to a collision with
Kevin Magnussen which caused damage to his radiator. The race resumed at 16:15 local time behind the safety car. Only twenty-eight laps were completed before the race was curtailed due to 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 whilst defending from Pérez in third, which demoted him to third behind Pérez. This, combined with the win, meant that Verstappen took the Championship title, leading Pérez by 113 points and Leclerc by 114 points, with 112 points still available. Nicholas Latifi would also score his final F1 points, before eventually leaving at the end of the 2022 season.
Post-race Points allocation confusion and clarification 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 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, effectively bypassing the gradual scale points system that had been introduced for 2022, following dissatisfaction with how points were allocated at the
2021 Belgian Grand Prix. 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. In
FIA World Endurance Championship competition, for example, the rules state full points are awarded once 75% of the race time was completed, which by the letter of the rule in F1 at the time meant 53 laps or the full race time of three hours. In theory, the race completed the full three hour time limit. Prior to the
2023 championship the F1 Commission agreed to alter the wording of the regulations to ensure all races where less than 75% of the race distance is completed now use the sliding scale system to determine the points being given, regardless of whether they finish under red or green flag conditions. This wording change satisfies the original intention of the gradual scale points system when it was introduced in 2022.
Criticism of and investigation into deployment of recovery vehicles The deployment and position of the recovery vehicle on the track was criticised after
AlphaTauri 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 Notes • – The race distance was initially scheduled to be completed for 53 laps before being shortened due to a red flag. • –
Charles Leclerc finished second, but he received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. • –
Pierre Gasly finished 17th, but he received a drive-through penalty (converted to a 20-second time penalty post-race) for speeding under red flag conditions. == FIA investigation ==