It was a weird, confusing and quite funny way of winning the world championship.
Even though the Red Bull driver had won the Japanese Grand Prix, everyone in Formula 1 thought he had not done enough to win a second world title. He had to make a decision a few minutes later.
Verstappen didn't know what they were going to do with the points.
I was not a world champion at the time. Someone claimed that he was. He wanted to know if he was sure. He was told he was wrong. He actually was.
One of the world's most high-profile sports found itself in a situation where someone has to decide how many points are awarded in a race, and the conclusion was different from what the teams were expecting.
Christian Horner, Verstappen's team principal at Red Bull, said that the answer was a mistake in the redrafting of the regulations.
With nothing in the rules specifying what to do, the FIA decided to award full points - against what the teams understood was the intention, and contrary to all historical precedent
In Spa in 2021, the controversy was over the fact that a result was declared despite no racing laps taking place because of the rain.
The aim was to change the rules so that points could not be awarded if there was no real race.
The case has always been that a shortened race would result in less points. Full points are usually awarded at 75% race distance.
The four-word clause has changed everything.
A table detailing a set of points is laid out in the rules of a race suspension. Three-quarter points are given when the race distance is between 50 and 75%.
The table only applies in the event that a race is not resumed.
When a crash on the first lap led to a two-hour stop and then a shorter race that ran to just over half, there was no way to know what would happen to the points.
The teams didn't know what to do, so the FIA decided to award full points against their intent.
It was the difference between Verstappen becoming champion already, or having to go to the US Grand Prix on 21-23 October to get a point over Perez and Leclerc, who made a mistake at the final chicane.
Binotto said that they didn't think full points would be given.
The statisticians of Red Bull said we needed one more point.
The intent of the rules was to scale the points relative to the distance traveled.
The fact that this was true can be determined by the fact that officials were only allowed to run two laps and give points.
We won because what was supposed to be fixed after Spa is not in the regs.
The mistake was not included after the issues of Spa. It was thought that only 75% of the points would be scored.
Is the rule going to be changed? "I'm pretty sure it will be," he said.
This is something we'll look into as part of our ongoing review processes and make any necessary updates through the appropriate governance channels.
This is the second championship in a row to end in controversy.
The race director applied the rules wrong during the final grand prix of the season. The championship changed hands when Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton on the restart of the grand prix.
Errors with the rules did not affect the outcome of the championship, only when it was won.
There is a big irony here.
Rules have to be approved by the teams before they can be used. The new rule that has been exposed is written by someone.
He was relieved of his post in the winter.
At the end of a season that has seen growing discontent on behalf of the teams and F1 at the way the sport is being run, it was exactly what the FIA needed.
His crowning moment in a season in which he has been magnificently peerless was at least partially overshadowed.
He doesn't mind that it was confusing. It's quite funny to me.
After the year he has had he can afford to be magnanimous.
New technical rules were put in place in order to make the racing better. One of the aims has been accomplished. One of the most dominant seasons in F1 history is being put together by Verstappen and Redbull.
Verstappen won in Japan for the 12th time in 18 races. With four grands prix still to go, it's likely that he will break the record for most wins in a season held by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher.
The year started differently. For the first half of the season, there wasn't much to choose between.
Verstappen retired from two of the three races in which he was runner-up to Leclerc.
Verstappen thought it would be hard to close the gap. There were a lot of engine failures and strategy errors from Leclerc and his team.
As Red Bull took weight out of their car, it came alive for Verstappen. Verstappen now looks unbeatable and can win from anywhere on the grid.
"I don't think Red Bull had a good car to win the title," Perez said. He was driving at a higher level when he was comfortable with the car. He did some amazing races.
His winning from 10th on the grid in Hungary was one of the highlights.
Verstappen appeared to have moved on from the high standards he had achieved previously. The turning point was the titanic scrap with Hamilton.
There was a big fight last year between two giants. He went out and smashed it out of the park after he achieved that.
Verstappen has married the pace with a level of maturity and control that has made him even more formidable.
Verstappen was starting the process of coming to terms with what he has accomplished.
He said that the whole season was very different and that the amount of races won was different.
Even with some engine penalties, it has been possible to return to the front.
It has been an enjoyable year and it will be difficult to duplicate.
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