The event was the eighteenth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship and the first time it had been held since 2019, with the 2020 and 2021 races cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Going into the weekend, Max Verstappen led the Drivers' Championship by 104 points from Charles Leclerc, and 106 points from Sergio Pérez. Red Bull Racing led the Constructors' Championship, leading Ferrari by 137 points and Mercedes by 203 points. Verstappen needed to outscore Leclerc by eight points and Pérez by six to secure the title.
The race started at 14:00 local time under torrential rain and was red-flagged on lap 2 after Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. lost control and aquaplaned into the barriers. Williams' Nicholas Latifi carried a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Zhou Guanyu at the previous round, the Singapore Grand Prix. The race resumed at 16:15 local time behind the safety car.
Only 28 of the scheduled 53 laps were completed before the race was curtailed due to exceeding the three-hour time limit. Full points were awarded despite the reduced distance due to a loophole in the regulations regarding how points should be allocated, with the rules stating that reduced points should only be awarded in shortened races that end under red flag conditions. Verstappen himself expressed surprise in the cooldown room that full points had been awarded, making him champion.
The awarding of full points led to initial confusion, as many initially believed half points would be awarded. The regulations were subsequently amended for 2023, so races that do not reach the 75 percent distance are awarded shortened race points regardless of whether they finish under red or green flag conditions.
The race was also marked by criticism of the deployment of a recovery vehicle during the red flag period. AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly narrowly avoided the vehicle due to poor visibility, and expressed his anger, stating he felt he “would have died” if he had lost control and hit it (CNN, Reuters). This prompted concern from drivers and officials, with Charles Leclerc and the family of Jules Bianchi referencing Bianchi’s fatal accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. The FIA launched an investigation into the incident and subsequently recognised that the deployment could have been handled better, implementing a warning system for recovery vehicles on track.
Nicholas Latifi scored his final F1 points at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, before leaving Formula One at the end of the 2022 season.
The FIA investigation, published on 21 October 2022, led to improvements to the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) system and a review of circuit drainage capabilities. The FIA also abandoned the idea of rotating race directors, retaining Niels Wittich as the sole race director for the remaining races of the championship.
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