Verstappen: I need "perfect" Japanese GP weekend to wrap up F1 title
Max Verstappen thinks he will need a "perfect weekend" at Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix if he is going to clinch his second world title.


The Red Bull driver heads into Suzuka with a 104-points advantage over closest rival Charles Leclerc, with Sergio Perez a further two-points back. He needs to finish the race 112 points clear of both to be assured of the title this weekend.
The clearest route for Verstappen to get what he needs would be to win the race and take fastest lap, as that would give him exactly the number of points he needs irrespective of where Leclerc and Perez finish.
But if he wins the race and does not take fastest lap, and Leclerc finishes second, then the championship will go on to the next race in the United States.
While the outcome is entirely in Verstappen’s hands, and he is aware of how Japan would be the best place to wrap up the title because of the close relations his team has with Honda, he thinks nothing less than perfection will be enough.
Asked about what it would mean to take the crown in Japan, Verstappen said: “It would make it a little extra special, because of our relationship with Honda.
“I think also already it was a shame that we couldn't be here last year in a title fight. So that's what we're really looking forward to, to be back here. And then we'll see what happens. We need a perfect weekend, that's for sure.”
Verstappen’s reference to a perfect weekend comes after a difficult Singapore outing where the Dutchman and his team threw away the chance to wrap up the title there.
A messy Friday, a fuel error in qualifying and then a tricky race meant Verstappen could not take the result he needed to capture the crown.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Lionel Ng / Motorsport Images
He looks back at what happened over the Marina Bay weekend as a great example of exactly what not to do – although he says the problems were pretty simple to understand.
“I mean, just pay attention to the fuel level, so there's not much to really change,” he said.
“When you fuel the car for five laps, you can do five laps, you're not going to be able to do six laps. You can talk about it for hours, but it's not going to suddenly change anything.
“But it's not only that, I mean, we had a very poor Friday in terms of amount of laps. So also there, I think a few things went wrong.
“We made a change to the car, we couldn't really test, of course, because it was wet, and we carried it along into the race. So yeah, just a very messy weekend and I think that was just a prime example of how you don't want a weekend to go.
“So you learn from that. But there's nothing that suddenly needs to change in the team. We all know that it was a bad weekend. But we also have shown this year that we've had a lot of very good weekends, so we know how to do it.”
Related video

Vettel would "seriously consider" chance for one-off F1 return at Suzuka
Alonso has no doubts regarding FIA after F1 cost cap delay

Latest news
De Vries cleared of wrongdoing in dispute over €250K loan
Nyck de Vries has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an Amsterdam court over a claim launched against him by real estate magnate Jeroen Schothorst relating to a €250,000 loan.
Horner admits Red Bull’s real RB19 will be ‘somewhat different’
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the real RB19 that will appear in Formula 1 testing in Bahrain later this month will be ‘somewhat different'.
Horner hints at closer links between Mercedes and Williams F1 teams
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has hinted that there could be a closer relationship between the Mercedes and Williams Formula 1 teams in the wake of James Vowles’s move.
Ford remains committed to WRC amid F1 return
Ford has stated that it remains committed to its programme in the World Rally Championship following confirmation of its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier from 2026.
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.