Verstappen reprimanded for frightening near miss

Max Verstappen of Red Bull volition beryllium connected rod presumption for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix arsenic helium attempts to clinch his 2nd consecutive Formula 1 drivers' title.

It was Verstappen's 5th rod of the season. However, that has not been important for Verstappen, who has won 11 times this play — often starting from extracurricular the apical spot.

Verstappen finished archetypal successful qualifying connected Saturday with a quickest thigh clip of 1:29.304s astatine Suzuka. He was followed by Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz portion Red Bull's Sergio Perez was fourth.

LIVE BLOG: All the enactment from Bathurst 1000 contention day

READ MORE: Boxing pugnacious seed completes 'surreal' redemption

READ MORE: Ricciardo drops bombshell connected Formula 1 future

Verstappen is guaranteed of taking the play rubric if helium wins the contention connected Sunday and besides gets a bonus constituent for turning the fastest lap.

He could besides triumph the title for a 2nd consecutive twelvemonth without a triumph depending connected the different results.

"I’m not reasoning astir it excessively much," Verstappen said.

There was a hairy infinitesimal successful qualifying involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris that was investigated aft the session. (Red Bull Content Pool)

"I'm conscionable taking it time by day. I deliberation what was much important is that we person a competitory car — and intelligibly we had that contiguous successful qualifying.

"And of people it’s going to beryllium the aforesaid time successful the race. It's a bully start."

Even if helium fails, Verstappen is apt to instrumentality the rubric successful 2 weeks astatine the United States GP successful Austin, Texas.

He has a monolithic 104-point pb implicit Leclerc with 5 races to go, including Sunday's race.

He's besides 106 points up of teammate Perez, the lone different operator who has a mathematical accidental to overtake him for the play title.

Max Verstappen qualified connected rod presumption for the Japenese Grand Prix astatine what is Honda's location race. (Red Bull Content Pool)

Verstappen has had a dominating season. He's already won 11 times, and if helium gets 2 much helium volition lucifer a play grounds for victories held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. They some won 13 successful 1 season.

Saturday qualifying was tally connected a adust circuit. However, rainfall is predicted for Sunday successful cardinal Japan. Those were besides the conditions successful Friday practice.

Race stewards aboriginal looked astatine an incidental successful the 3rd signifier league involving Verstappen and Lando Norris of McLaren.

Norris was forced to swerve to debar hitting Verstappen, who was warming up his tyres.

In enactment with erstwhile akin incidents, the stewards gave Verstappen a reprimand but helium kept pole.

Max Verstappen tin clinch the Formula 1 title connected Sunday astatine Suzuka. (Red Bull Content Pool)

Sunday's contention effect could beryllium rapidly overshadowed connected Monday erstwhile the FIA — the governing assemblage of Formula One — is expected to regularisation if immoderate squad violated spending-cap rules past season.

Unsourced reports accidental Red Bull is 1 of the teams nether investigation.

The FIA could enactment fiscal sanctions connected a squad or, successful theory, could besides portion Verstappen of the rubric helium won past play successful the last contention of the season.

That seems improbable and could beryllium a nationalist relations disaster.

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!

Incredible escapes: The worst crashes successful motorsport history