How soon can Max Verstappen clinch F1 title and what next for flying Dutchman?

Max Verstappen took another major step to sealing his second world championship after winning Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the unstoppable Dutchman, and his dominant Red Bull machine.

Following his fifth win in succession and his 11th from 16 this season, Verstappen will gain his first shot at title glory at the next round in Singapore on October 2.

Verstappen’s championship lead stands at 116 points with only 164 available, meaning he will take the crown at the Marina Bay Circuit if he outscores Charles Leclerc by 22 points, Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez by 13 points, and Mercedes’ George Russell by six points.

The state of play, with six races remaining...#ItalianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/75CA21EL8B

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 12, 2022

It is quite ironic that Formula One motorsport boss Ross Brawn oversaw the design of this season’s new cars in the hope of bringing the field closer together, and spicing up the show.

But Red Bull, with Verstappen at the wheel, have nailed the new regulations, paving the way for the most one-sided F1 campaign in recent memory.

If Verstappen does take the championship in Singapore, he will have done so with five rounds still to play – a significant contrast to last year’s title fight for the ages between the Dutchman and Lewis Hamilton which went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

Sport is built on rivalries and the absence of a Hamilton-Verstappen rematch has been a major blow to F1. That said, nothing should be taken away from Verstappen, who is in the purple patch of his career.

The 24-year-old has become a more measured version of the win-at-all-costs driver of last year – aided in part by the lack of a major rival. He has been in a different