Formula 1: 2 winners and 2 losers at the Japanese Grand Prix

Formula 1 returned to Japan at the weekend after a couple of seasons away, and it certainly proved worth the wait for Max Verstappen in the end.

The sport returned to Suzuka for the first time since 2019 but the wet weather on Sunday threatened to leave fans in attendance very disappointed, with it quite possible we’d hardly get any racing laps in.

However, with under an hour left of the three-hour window in which the race could be held, we got some action in and it was Verstappen who stormed to victory and, eventually, the title after a brief bit of confusion over how many points would be awarded.

READ MORE: Explained: Points rule that led to Max Verstappen winning the F1 world title

Max was the obvious winner at the weekend as he doubles up on world titles, then, but who else had a good weekend and who didn’t? We take a look at a couple of each now…

Sebastian Vettel made no secret of how much he enjoys driving at Suzuka with him appearing even a little emotional at points over the weekend with it the last time he’ll be driving in F1 around the circuit.

Things could have worked out badly for him on Sunday, though, with a tap in the first corner with Fernando Alonso sending him spiralling to the back of the field.

The red flag and rain delay meant he’d be able to catch up for the restart, though, and a quick move to intermediates allowed him to carve his way back up the field, before sealing a 6th place finish ahead of Alonso by 0.011 seconds in a thrilling dash to the line in the final stages.

This is not the way Charles Leclerc would have wanted to finally give up all hope of winning the world championship this year.

The Monegasque knew the writing was on the wall but obviously wanted to take it as far as he could, and