Verstappen gets second crack at clinching F1 world title in Japan

Red Bull's flying Dutchman Max Verstappen has another chance to clinch his second consecutive world championship when the Japanese Grand Prix returns at Suzuka this weekend after a three-year absence because of Covid.

The runaway leader failed to secure the title at last weekend's rain-affected Singapore Grand Prix, but he will do it in Japan if he wins and nearest rival Charles Leclerc finishes lower than second.

Verstappen is 104 points ahead and he needs to extend that to 112 points over the field to claim the championship after Sunday's race.

Simply put, if Verstappen gains eight points on Leclerc and six on teammate Sergio Perez, who won in Singapore, he will be only the third driver after Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel to clinch the title with four races to spare.

History appears to be on the 25-year-old's side, with 12 Formula One world champions having been crowned at the Japanese Grand Prix.

"This is not where we want to be but we move on to Japan," Verstappen said after a rollercoaster wet-dry race in Singapore where he finished seventh to end his five-race winning streak.

Verstappen has never won in Japan and will aim to bounce back from a frustrating race under the lights of Singapore, where he finished seventh after starting eighth on the grid.

A fuelling blunder in qualifying left him seething and gave him too much work to do on the tight Marina Bay Street Circuit, where overtaking was extremely difficult.

That will be less of a problem at Suzuka, on a circuit characterised by sweeping bends and dramatic elevation changes.

Weather forecasts suggest the race could be another wet one, after a heavy rainstorm delayed the start of the Singapore Grand Prix for more than an hour.

The Japanese Grand Prix has not