Image source, Getty Images

Max Verstappen on winning the world championship for the second time: "It's crazy, very mixed emotions. Winning the championship, what a year we've had. It's incredible!

"I'm so thankful to everyone who's been contributing to the success, the whole team has been working flat out. Beside that, the work we did with Honda every year, constantly improving, gets very emotional especially here. I'm very proud we could do it here.

"The first is more emotional but the second is more beautiful. We're leading the constructors so we want to focus on that, to secure that.

Tap the thumbs if you have been with us since 04:30 this morning?! An apple and a coffee is the fuel I have taken onboard during this incident-packed Japanese Grand Prix.

Jack Nicholls
BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator

Image source, Getty Images

If the race had ended under a red flag and they had only done half of it then you get fewer points because they hadn't done the whole race, whereas because they finished the race, even though you have still only done half of it, you get full points.

The other key part, Verstappen only won the championship because Leclerc was given a five-second time penalty for going off the track on the final lap.

It was only on his return to the pits that the FIA whacked out a very quick five-second penalty which crowned Verstappen the champion.

That is two times now Verstappen has been crowned world champion in very odd circumstances, but titles they are.

While last year's there will be some kind of controversy about forever, this year there was no doubt he was going to win the title at some point - it just happens that it has happened today.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto says they were also "confused" and did not think Verstappen was champion, because they did not expect full points to be awarded. He says F1 needs to review and look into what the intent was when the rule was changed.

Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 Live pit-lane reporter

There are so many rules in Formula 1. It turns out that in article 6.5, it [a reduction in points awarded for a race] only applies in a race suspension that cannot be resumed and therefore full points are awarded and Max Verstappen is a two-time world champion because the race was resumed - it's just that no-one knew that.

With four races remaining of the 2022 campaign, Max Verstappen joins Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel as a member of the back-to-back titles club.

Charles Leclerc, who dropped down to third place after being handed a five-second penalty: "Well from lap five, it was all downhill. I really struggled with the tyres but after three four laps we just destroyed them. Struggled this time. Huge congrats to Max on his second championship.

"Max's title this year was just a matter of time. We expected him to win the title. Now we just use the last few races to become a better team."

Sergio Perez, who finished third but was promoted to second place after Charles Leclerc's penalty: "It was a bit hectic with Charles. Good racing. We were fighting really hard. I tried to make a move in the end but he want off, which was fair racing. The penalty was fair.

On Max Verstappen's world championship: "Great result for him and Honda. Great day for our team. Great day for us."

Max Verstappen after winning the Japanese Grand Prix: "I'm just very happy we got to race in the end. It was raining heavily, luckily we got quite a few laps in. I'm very pleased to win here. But also happy to see the fans. Very happy that we could race here.

"I mean I was just happy we had a race to not have a race would be terrible. It would’ve been great to win the championship but it's another opportunity for the next race.

On being told he was world champion following Charles Leclerc's penalty "What can I say? incredible! Very special to do it here. In front of the Honda people and the Japanese fans."

Before all the confusion began as to whether Max Verstappen was actually world champion, here's what the top three drivers had to say...

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says this year's title for Max Verstappen is "a lot less stressful, a lot less controversial." Not too sure about less stressful after that baffling conclusion to the championship race.

Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 Live pit-lane reporter

Max Verstappen is a two-time world champion. He won in front of his Suzuka fans who poured into a Honda-owned track to cheer on a Honda-powered driver and they have had a real reward for all the pain and anguish and rain that they saw.

At the end of it, Max Verstappen is, without doubt, a two-time world champion.

Verstappen has been brilliant and the car has been very special.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Use the audio icon at the top of this page to stay across developments at Suzuka after the Japanese Grand Prix ended in confusion.

There will be news updates from Jennie Gow and the Formula 1 team now that it has been confirmed that Max Verstappen has in fact earned enough points to claim the drivers' title.

Confirmation that Max Verstappen is the 2022 Formula 1 world champion!

Image source, BBC Sport

So... shall I add the title graphic back into the feed?!

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

So, it seems Verstappen is champion. The regs say staggered points only comer in "if a race is suspended in accordance with Article 57, *and cannot be resumed*". The race was resumed, so the FIA says that means it's full points.

Suspect these regs will need clarifying again after this

Jack Nicholls
BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator

We are almost pretty sure that Max Verstappen isn't world champion because the race did not get to full points. We haven't done more than 75% race distance. It's not full points. That is where the confusion lies.

Well, the top three are on the podium, Sergio Perez in second and Charles Leclerc in third. The atmosphere is weird, to say the least.

What a bizarre end to an already eventful grand prix.