The Los Angeles Chargers survived a late scare to defeat the Cleveland Browns 30-28 on Sunday afternoon thanks to a massive performance from running back Austin Ekeler.
Ekeler finished with two of the Chargers' three touchdowns, rushing for 173 yards and a score from 16 carries, and adding 26 yards and a touchdown from four catches.
Both times Ekeler scored he put the Chargers back into the lead in a rollercoaster of a game, where the Browns jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter through touchdowns to focal points Amari Cooper and Nick Chubb.
Chubb's second rushing touchdown gave the Browns a 17-14 lead at half-time, and they were up 28-27 going into the fourth quarter after Kareem Hunt converted a goal-line carry for a touchdown of his own.
Taylor Bertolet's field goal put the Chargers back in front with nine minutes to play, finishing three-for-three with his kicks for the day, and the game looked to be sealed when Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw an interception with under three minutes on the clock.
Needing a couple of first downs to put on the finishing touches, the Chargers were presented with a fourth-and-one at their own 46-yard line, and instead of punting and playing it safe, they went for it and failed.
A short completion gave the Browns a 54-yard field goal opportunity to win the game in the final seconds, but it drifted wide right, with kicker Cade York missing both of his attempts for the game.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 22 of his 34 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers, with his top receiver Mike Williams catching 10 for 134 yards.
Chubb was the offensive star for the Browns, carrying 17 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
Bills blow away the Steelers
The Buffalo Bills took their foot off the gas in the second half to coast to a dominant 38-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wide receiver Gabriel Davis was the star of the show along with quarterback Josh Allen, combining on a 98-yard passing touchdown just 64 seconds into the game. It was the longest touchdown in the NFL this season.
They were not finished there, linking up again to begin the second quarter with a 62-yard touchdown.
Allen added two more touchdown passes in the first half – one to Stefon Diggs and one to Khalil Shakir – to open up a 31-3 lead at the long break, and from there they were never tested.
Another Dolphins quarterback leaves with concussion
Making his first start of the season after Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined with his concussion last week, Miami Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was pulled after the first play in a 40-17 loss to the New York Jets.
Bridgewater was evaluated for a concussion and could not return, handing rookie Skylar Thompson his first snaps as a professional.
Neither team threw for a touchdown in the game, with the Jets rushing for five scores as exciting rookie Breece Hall finished with 18 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, adding two catches for 100 yards, and goal-line back Michael Carter pushed his way in for two touchdowns.
Adding to the great day for Jets fans was the fourth overall pick from this year's NFL Draft, cornerback Sauce Gardner, recording his first career interception.
Brian Robinson Jr. made his NFL bow on Sunday, as the Washington Commanders rookie played his first game just six weeks after he was shot twice.
The running back survived an attempted robbery in the capital on August 28 and has not played since, but was activated from the non-football injury list ahead of this weekend's game with the Tennessee Titans.
Brought on to a hero's welcome at FedExField, the third-round pick was unable to prevent another loss, which leaves the Commanders' record at 1-4 after a 21-17 defeat.
But Robinson nevertheless notched solid numbers for the NFC East outfit, posting 22 yards from nine carries with an average 2.4 gain.
The 23-year-old will hope his performance earns him further game-time over the coming weeks, with Washington set to travel to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
Matt LaFleur conceded he did not call a good enough game as a head coach after the Green Bay Packers' collapse in their shock 27-22 defeat to the New York Giants.
Playing in their first game in the United Kingdom, the Packers looked in command at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after building a 20-10 half-time lead.
From there, however, the Packers scored just two points, which came on an intentional safety given up by the Giants at the end of the game, as New York produced a remarkable comeback.
A 15-play, 91-yard drive capped by a two-yard rush for Gary Brightwell saw the Giants tie the game at 20-20 before Saquon Barkley, who finished with 106 yards from scrimmage, averaging over six yards per touch, gave New York the lead with a two-yard run on a direct snap.
Green Bay responded with a drive to the Giants' six-yard line but failed to punch in the tying score, Aaron Rodgers seeing a fourth-down throw to Allen Lazard batted down before he was sacked on a failed Hail Mary attempt in the final seconds.
The Packers had dictated matters in the first half through the ground attack and the short passing game, but the run was a non-factor in the second, as Green Bay was forced to punt after gaining only 46 yards on their first two drives before the failed effort to tie the game.
While LaFleur credited the Giants' defense and their coordinator Wink Martindale for forcing the Packers away from the run, he did take responsibility for an anaemic second-half showing.
Asked if he anticipated going pass-heavy, LaFleur told his post-game press conference: "Just depended upon what they were giving us. Like I said, we had a lot of run-pass cans [options].
"They played a lot of single high [safety coverages], manned us up. Do you want to run into a loaded box or try to get it through the air?
"Unfortunately that didn't work for us. Like I said, give credit. Wink is a guy I got a lot of respect for. He out-coached us in the second half, and they outplayed us.
"Give New York all the credit. They out-coached us, they outplayed us. They definitely wanted it more. It was the tale of two halves. They kicked our butt in the second half. You can't do that in this league.
"Obviously the plan and the play calls that I gave weren't good enough.
"We just got to regroup. Everybody's got to look in the mirror and ask themselves what they can do better because it was a collective effort right there in terms of not being able to come out on top.
"They kept playing. Give New York a ton of credit. I don't think the mindset for our guys was ever to let up. Certainly you look at the results out there. There was too many mistakes. It wasn't just one person; it was a collective effort like I talked about.
"It starts with myself. I got to be better. I got to be better for this team. We got to demand that we get better in certain areas. It's just disappointing."
Former U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm romped to his eighth DP World Tour title with a six-stroke victory on home turf in the Open de Espana on Sunday.
The 2021 major winner delivered a stunning nine-under round to card 62 on the final day, blowing away the competition at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
With an eagle on the 14th and eight further birdies, the 27-year-old proved too strong for Matthieu Pavon, with the Frenchman's six-under for the fourth round leaving him in a distant second place.
Rahm's triumph saw him take the Open de Espana title for the third time in his career, having previously triumphed in 2018 and 2019.
It means he equals the record set by his fellow countryman, the late Seve Ballesteros, who also won the competition on three occasions.
"You might need to ask me in a few days because I take quite a while to process these things," Rahm stated when asked for his thoughts on matching Ballesteros' feat.
"It was the goal coming in; Seve is a great hero of mine and to do something he took his whole career to do in just a few years is quite humbling.
"It's emotional. Going up the 18th hole, I knew what was about to happen and to get it done like that, I can't describe it."
Australia's Min Woo Lee carded three-under to finish in third, seven strokes off the lead, while Italy's Edoardo Molinari and South Africa's Zander Lombard tied for fourth after posting equal rounds of four-under.
The father of the late Formula One driver Jules Bianchi strongly criticised an incident that saw Pierre Gasly nearly collide with a tractor during Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.
The race in torrential conditions saw a number of first-lap crashes, with the safety car coming in almost immediately.
And after the race was red-flagged on lap three, Gasly came close to hitting a tractor that was attempting to recover Carlos Sainz's crashed Ferrari just seconds after drivers were notified of the red flag.
Bianchi was the last F1 driver to suffer a fatal crash, having done so in a similar incident when he hit a recovery vehicle, also at the Japanese Grand Prix.
And Sunday's incident provoked widespread criticism, including from Bianchi's father.
"No respect for the life of the driver," Philippe Bianchi said in an Instagram caption. "No respect for Jules' memory. Incredible."
The event also sparked furious reaction from current drivers, with Gasly himself saying "I could have f****** killed myself" while Red Bull's Sergio Perez called it "the lowest point we've seen in the sport for years."
Barbora Krejcikova completed a fairytale home tournament as she won the Ostrava Open by beating world number one Iga Swiatek 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in Sunday's final.
Krejcikova lifted the Tallinn Open last week for her first title of the season, and made it two from two with an impressive run to the final before a hard-fought triumph over Swiatek to earn a ninth straight victory and another championship trophy.
Swiatek herself had won 10 matches on the bounce, and the Pole raced to five of the first six games to lead the opener 5-1, though Krejcikova rattled off four straight games to level it up.
However, after making it 6-5, Swiatek then found a crucial break to clinch the first set.
The second went all the way to a tie-break, which Krejcikova took the ascendancy of by putting herself 6-1 up, and despite a late Swiatek rally, the Czech 26-year-old finally levelled the match after watching four set points come and go.
In the decider, neither could find a break until the eighth game, with Krejcikova doing so to put herself within a game of winning.
And in an extraordinary final stand, Swiatek survived five championship points before her resistance was ultimately broken to deny her an eighth final victory in 2022.
It was Krejcikova's first win against Swiatek, having lost their previous two meetings, as the seventh seed sealed an incredible victory.
The New York Giants produced a stunning comeback to upset the Green Bay Packers 27-22 and move to an improbable 4-1 with victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Green Bay, playing in the United Kingdom for the first time in front of a raucous crowd dominated by Packer fans, dominated the first half and led 20-10 at half-time.
Two touchdown throws from Aaron Rodgers to Allen Lazard and Marcedes Lewis along with a pair of Mason Crosby field goals seemingly had Green Bay in command.
The second of those three-pointers came after the Giants' first touchdown drive, capped by a double reverse touchdown by tight end Daniel Bellinger, which served as a harbinger of what was to come in the second half.
A field goal from Graham Gano cut the deficit to seven points and, after a Dexter Lawrence sack stopped a promising Packers drive, the Giants drove 91 yards on 15 plays with star running back Saquon Barkley back in the locker room nursing a shoulder injury, Gary Brightwell's two-yard rushing touchdown tying the game.
Barkley returned for the next drive after a quick Packers three-and-out and, having set up the Giants' first score with a 40-yard scamper, he gave New York the lead, getting them into the red zone with a 41-yard catch-and run before taking a direct snap two yards to complete the turnaround.
Green Bay responded with a drive deep into Giants' territory but, on fourth-and-one from the New York six, Rodgers saw his pass to Allen Lazard batted into the air, sealing a remarkable win to drop the Packers to 3-2, an intentional late safety taken by Brian Daboll's men proving immaterial.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has described Charles Leclerc's five-second penalty at the Japanese Grand Prix – which handed Max Verstappen his second Formula One world title – as "ridiculous and unacceptable".
Verstappen sealed consecutive championships by winning a rain-shortened race at Suzuka on Sunday – though it initially appeared he would have to wait after Leclerc crossed the line in second.
However, Leclerc's late move to stay ahead of Sergio Perez landed him a five-second penalty, putting the Ferrari man third and unable to catch Verstappen in the drivers' standings.
Speaking to Sky Sports following the bizarre conclusion, a furious Binotto contrasted Sunday's immediate decision to penalise Leclerc with the long delay required to hand Perez a similar sanction in Singapore last week.
"The decision of the five-second penalty to Leclerc is ridiculous and unacceptable, it is something that does not make sense," he said.
"Leclerc did not gain position or time, when we saw the note, we were calm. This time it was decided without even listening to the drivers, unlike Singapore.
"Incredible decision, which is not clear: two identical infractions and two different penalties seven days apart."
Race organisers have also come under fire after Pierre Gasly narrowly avoided a high-speed collision with a tractor, which was recovering Carlos Sainz's crashed Ferrari after a series of early collisions.
Binotto also made reference to that incident as he warned poor management of the sport could harm its reputation.
"Then the start in those conditions, the crane on the track… this shows that the moment is difficult [for F1]," Binotto continued. "The risk is to lose the credibility of the sport.
"We have to understand how to improve the situation, because this management is not going well."
Elise Mertens claimed her first WTA title of the year after defeating Alize Cornet in straight sets to capture the Jasmin Open crown on Sunday.
The world number 42 reeled off the last 11 games as she soared to a dominant 6-2 6-0 victory after just 80 minutes in Monastir.
Mertens landed the seventh WTA title of her career - and first since the 2021 Gippsland Trophy - following a timely return to form off the back of a disappointing 2022 that had seen her reach just two quarter-finals.
The Belgian overcame Cornet in three sets when they met in St. Petersburg earlier this year, and she quickly gained the upper hand in the fifth contest between the pair.
Mertens rescued two break points to hold for 2-2, before breaking twice as she eventually cruised to the opening set.
A late wildcard in Tunisia, Cornet had progressed to her first final since Chicago last year without dropping a set, and was targeting her first silverware since triumphing in Gstaad four years ago.
But the world number 37 could not establish any momentum in her quest to get back into the final; nine double-faults certainly hindering her intentions.
Mertens fully capitalised. The fifth seed won 83 per cent of her first-service points, while breaking a further three times as she breezed to a commanding victory.
J.T. Realmuto insisted that "nobody's excited" to play the Philadelphia Phillies after they secured their National League Division Series place with victory over the St Louis Cardinals.
The Phillies advanced to their first NLDS showdown in 11 years, where they will face the Atalanta Braves after defeating the Cardinals 2-0 in the National League Wildcard Series.
Bryce Harper's homer off the first pitch of the second inning set the tone at Busch Stadium, where Aaron Nola's pitching kept the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado at bay as they prevailed with a game to spare.
"I can promise you, nobody's excited to play the Phillies right now," Realmuto said. "Not one person on this team is surprised. We all expected to be here. This is where we wanted to be to start the season, and we're not done yet.
"We felt like it was our night to begin with and as soon as Bryce [Harper] hit that home run, we felt like we were going to win the game.
"There's a lot of confidence in that dugout right now and with the way Aaron has been throwing the ball, we were confident he and the bullpen were going to hold it down."
Rhys Hoskins also heaped praise on Harper following his "MVP-type" display, revealing he was a man on a mission upon arriving in the locker room.
"The first thing Bryce told me today is we are not losing this game," Hoskins added. "Then he goes out and hits a home run in his first at-bat. That's MVP-type stuff right there. It was awesome."
Defeat for the Cardinals abruptly brought the curtain down on the glittering careers of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, who boast 21 All Star appearances between them.
Manager Oliver Marmol was disappointed not to give the decorated duo a more fitting send-off, saying: "Everybody in that clubhouse is feeling it right now. It's a tough one.
"When you know it's Yadi's last year and Albert's last year, there's this extra motivation to deliver for them and do something special and allow that story to end with a championship, so it's obviously disappointing. But it's where we're at."
Max Verstappen struck a philosophical tone as he celebrated a second Formula One drivers' title, admitting this could be as good as it gets for him.
The 25-year-old Dutchman has been dominant in the 2022 season, with his 12th race win in 18 races coming at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
It came in curious fashion, with Verstappen initially moving only to the brink of the title with victory. His triumph was confirmed later, when a penalty was imposed on second-placed finisher Charles Leclerc, nudging the Ferrari driver down to third place in the race and giving Verstappen an unassailable championship lead.
He has wrapped up the title with four races to spare, and Verstappen might go on to be the leading light in many more seasons to come. Indeed, it would be a surprise if he does not; but great drivers from years gone by have not necessarily stacked up the titles expected of them.
Fernando Alonso, for one, captured titles in 2005 and 2006 but has not added to those back-to-back successes.
Verstappen is conscious that the car must be right, so he is determined to make the most of Red Bull equipping him with a formidable set of wheels, for as long as that lasts.
"I've got four race weekends at least to celebrate," he said. "There is no real pressure any more, but I still want to of course try and win more races, because with the car we have now you have to try and take advantage of that.
"You don't know if you're ever going to have that again, next year, in the years to come. So, we'll definitely try to win a few more."
Verstappen already accepts that following up the 2022 performance will be a lot to ask of Red Bull and their driver team.
Because of Leclerc's five-second penalty, Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez took second place at Suzuka, and also sits second in the championship, some 113 points behind the champion.
Red Bull are emphatically the team to beat, but many teams have been in such a position across the history of Formula One, and what history tells us is that a rival will at some stage overhaul them.
Next season will be a 24-race slog, two races longer than this campaign, and that will test all the teams.
"Yeah, it's going to be a long season," Verstappen said. "I thought this one was already pretty long – but we'll see. We're going to try and prepare for next year as good as we can.
"Then we'll try to get it as close as we can to this year, because replicating something like this will be very tough – but I have a lot of good hope within the people in the team that we can create again a really good car."
Taylor Fritz became the first American to win the Japan Open since Pete Sampras in 1996 after seeing off compatriot Frances Tiafoe with a victory that will take him into the top 10.
The 24-year-old beat Tiafoe in straight sets, though it was a tight affair as the match was decided via two tie-breaks, Fritz eventually triumphing 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) to clinch the ATP 500 event.
Nevertheless, Fritz looked the composed player for much of the contest as he created eight break chances to Tiafoe's three – though the latter managed to hang in for the most part.
The only breaks of serve came in back-to-back games early in the first set, with Tiafoe quickly hitting back before later holding off two set points to force a tie-break.
He would have been confident going into it after winning 13 successive singles tie-breaks prior to Sunday, but Fritz blew Tiafoe away in both, with the second coming at the end of a set in which neither player gave an inch.
A third tournament victory of 2022 ensures Fritz will break into the top 10 on Monday and provides a real boost to his hopes of qualifying for the end-of-season ATP Finals.
"Crazy, I don't even think it's set in just how fast the last four or five days have been," Fritz said afterwards.
"It's so crazy, and I couldn't have written it any better. It's exactly what I needed for the race [to Turin for the ATP Finals], for my ranking, to kind of put me in a good position for the end of the year, so it's amazing."
Fritz will be eighth in the world when the new rankings are released, making him the first American man to break the top 10 since Jack Sock did so in 2017.
Novak Djokovic claimed the 90th ATP Tour title of his illustrious career after landing the Astana Open crown with a straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Serbian also secured a place at next month's ATP Finals in Turin after prevailing 6-3 6-4 in just 75 minutes.
It was Djokovic's fourth piece of silverware of the season – adding to his triumphs in Wimbledon, Rome and Tel Aviv – and stretched his winning streak to nine matches.
The 21-time major winner had prevailed in each of his last six encounters with Tsitsipas and claimed a crucial break in game eight of the opening set, before serving it out to draw first blood.
Seeking his maiden ATP 500 title at the ninth attempt, Tsitsipas was aiming to join Djokovic in becoming only the second male player to win a tour-level title on all three surfaces this season.
However, the Greek ace hit 25 unforced errors throughout the contest to his opponent's seven and was broken again in game five of the second set.
Djokovic, who won 33 of his 38 first-serve points and did not face a single break point, subsequently sealed victory with a brilliant backhand winner to make it back-to-back titles following last week's triumph in Tel Aviv.
"I always hoped that I would be going to have a great career. Obviously, [I] didn't know the amount of finals I was going to play, the amount of tournaments I was going to win, but my intention was always to reach the highest heights in our sport.
"I'm just very grateful and blessed to be able to play this well at this stage of my life. I think the experience, probably, in these kinds of matches and big occasions helps as well to approach mentally in the right way.
"I could not ask for a better restart of the season. I'm super-pumped and motivated to end the season as well as I have done these past couple of weeks."
Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra claimed the LIV Golf Bangkok title after carding a final-round 69 to win by three strokes on a weather-affected final day.
The 22-year-old took a five-shot lead into the final round and did enough to hold off late charges from the likes of Patrick Reed and Paul Casey, the latter of whom will be left to rue an opening round of 71 after shooting 65 on both the second and third days.
Nobody bettered Lopez-Chacarra's first and second rounds of 65 and 63 respectively, and he overcame two bogies on the front nine to finish three under on the final day and seal victory, maintaining his focus despite play being suspended for an hour and a half because of a storm in the area.
The Spaniard was a high-ranked amateur before joining the controversial Saudi-backed tour in June and now earns his first professional championship, as well as a $4million purse.
Richard Bland and Branden Grace formed part of a leading trio with Lopez-Chacarra on seven under after the opening round, but Grace withdrew with injury on Saturday while Bland could not follow up his first-day success, losing pace on the eventual winner to finish joint-third – alongside Casey and Sihwan Kim and a stroke behind second-placed Reed.
Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka was joint-eighth at 13 under, while Bryson DeChambeau ended 14th at 10 under.
Other big names were way off the pace, with Phil Mickelson 10 shots behind Lopez-Chacarra and 2022 Open Championship winner Cameron Smith finishing a disappointing tournament tied for 41st at four under.
Sergio Perez considered an incident when a tractor appeared on the track ahead of Pierre Gasly at the Japanese Grand Prix "the lowest point" in Formula One "for years".
Dreadful conditions in Suzuka saw a series of crashes on the first lap on Sunday, with the safety car almost immediately introduced.
The race was then red-flagged on lap three, but Gasly passed a tractor – seemingly recovering Carlos Sainz's crashed Ferrari – as he was still driving around the track, with the incident appearing to occur just seconds after drivers had been notified of the red flag.
As the cars returned to the pit lane and waited for the rain to ease, a number of drivers took to social media to angrily point out how dangerous that moment was.
Jules Bianchi was the last F1 driver to suffer a fatal crash, which happened in Japan in 2014 when he hit a recovery vehicle.
"That's the lowest point we've seen in the sport for years," Red Bull's Perez said. "What happened today just makes me so angry.
"I just hope ever in the sport we never get to see this situation ever again. It's putting all the drivers at risk.
"We saw what happened here a few years ago with our friend Jules, and absolutely I don't care about what was the reason for that. It should never happen again, ever in any category."
Gasly was later handed a 20-second penalty by the FIA for speeding under red flag conditions, but he described his fear as he encountered the tractor.
"We lost Jules already," Gasly said. "We all lost an amazing guy, an amazing driver for the reasons that we know – eight years ago, on the same track, in the same conditions, with a crane.
"How? How today can we see a crane not even on the gravel, on the race track while we are still on the track? I don't understand that.
"Obviously, I got scared; obviously, if I would have lost the car in a similar way that Carlos lost it in the lap before, it doesn't matter the speed – 200, 100 – I would have just died. It's as simple as that.
"I don't understand. It's disrespectful to Jules, disrespectful to his family."
The AlphaTauri man added: "I'm just extremely grateful that I'm here. Tonight, I'm going to call my family and all my loved ones.
"The outcome is the way that it is because I passed two metres from that crane. If I would have been two metres to the left, I would have been dead."
Lewis Hamilton is adamant Mercedes will have a better car next season that should allow them to provide a greater challenge to Red Bull after Max Verstappen wrapped up the 2022 Formula One title.
Verstappen won a second successive championship on Sunday thanks to victory in the Japanese Grand Prix combined with his rival Charles Leclerc receiving a five-second penalty that demoted him to third.
Initially there was confusion over whether full points were to be awarded as the normal race distance was not completed due to a lengthy rain delay, with even Verstappen suggesting the title was not his yet at first.
After several minutes, Verstappen's success was confirmed as the Dutchman retained his crown with four races to spare, far more straightforward than last season when he only moved ahead of Hamilton at the end of a controversial final grand prix.
But Mercedes have never really been a threat to Verstappen this year, with George Russell fourth in the standings and Hamilton a further two places down the ladder – neither driver has claimed a single victory in 2022.
Hamilton congratulated Verstappen afterwards but swiftly turned his attention to 2023, optimistic Mercedes can build a car that is not dogged by the design issues the W13 car has had following the introduction of new technical regulations.
"Congrats to Max," Hamilton said, before refocusing on Mercedes.
"I think for us, we know what the problems are with this car. I believe that we as a team, we've not gone from being world champions to not being able to build a good car.
"I have no doubts we'll build a better car next year.
"Whether or not we rectify every issue from the car this year, we'll find out when we get there."
Hamilton finished fifth in Suzuka, spending much of the shortened race stuck behind Esteban Ocon, who held on to take fourth.
Despite what many might have perceived as a frustrating day for the seven-time world champion, Hamilton insisted he had "a blast".
"I don't feel frustrated," he told Sky Sports. "It was a sprint race. I think I did the best I could and I'm happy we got some points.
"We were just so slow in a straight line. I was getting close, as close as I could, and as soon as I pulled out, they would just pull away.
"I wish it was a longer race. I'm glad we got some laps for the fans here, although it's not really a massive race for them considering how long they've waited.
"In terms of the conditions, the restarting was awesome. That's what motor racing is about. I had a blast. It was so tough, so hard to see. Really hard to see the car skating around, but that's motor racing.
"I think the restart we had at the end was the perfect time and I just wish we could have gone longer into a bit of the dark."
F1 now heads to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for the United States Grand Prix on October 23.
Christian Horner described Max Verstappen's title triumph as "beyond all our dreams" as he noted the Formula One champion's growth from his first success in 2021.
Verstappen sealed a second consecutive title by winning the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday – his championship belatedly confirmed by a penalty for Charles Leclerc that left the Ferrari driver in third, out of reach of top spot as full points were awarded despite a rain delay.
The Dutchman was informed of his triumph only after his parc ferme interview, with the Red Bull team hurriedly checking the regulations and discovering he had moved clear of both team-mate Sergio Perez and Leclerc.
Team principal Horner explained to Sky Sports: "We thought it wasn't going to be full points awarded. We thought we were one point short. We were looking at pitting him for the fastest lap and so on.
"Wow, that's beyond all our dreams.
"Max has been truly, truly dominant. That's our 14th victory, a record for us, and the way he has driven since the first race...
"We came back from some difficulties in the first couple of races, but he and the team have just raised it to another level.
"I'm incredibly proud of everything he's done, everything the team's done. They've gone way beyond under massive pressure. To achieve this championship is truly special."
Verstappen's first title came in controversial circumstances last year as he edged Lewis Hamilton in a contentious decider.
But Horner believes his superstar driver is now operating in a class of his own.
"I think Max has grown from that first world championship," he said. "The way he's driven, the way he's operated this year has just been at another level.
"All respect to him, because he truly deserves this championship."
Ultimately, Perez was the man who made sure of Verstappen's success, tussling with Leclerc to prompt the final-lap penalty that completed the job.
"What a script," Horner added. "To get that victory here in Japan with Honda, as well, is really special.
"Charles obviously made a mistake at the end and the penalty was given, but it's fantastic for Checo. He's done a super job today."
Max Verstappen may not have immediately known he was again Formula One champion on Sunday, but a dominant season made this triumph "more beautiful" than the last for the Dutchman.
Verstappen has won consecutive titles in slightly confusing fashion, even if his 2022 success was long anticipated.
When the Red Bull superstar pipped Lewis Hamilton in 2021, it was after a highly controversial restart in the season finale as both drivers took the fight right down to the wire.
This time, Verstappen headed into the Japanese Grand Prix knowing he was almost certain to be celebrating again at some stage.
He could complete the job at Suzuka by finishing eight points ahead of Charles Leclerc and six ahead of Sergio Perez – an outcome he unknowingly achieved.
Leclerc was given a five-second penalty after the race to finish behind Perez, meaning Verstappen was champion when Red Bull clocked full points would be awarded due to the race resuming after a red flag, despite only half of the grand prix being completed.
It was an odd way to learn of the success, but Verstappen was able to reflect on the year as a whole, having contributed to 12 of Red Bull's team-record 14 wins.
Of his two titles, Verstappen said: "I think the first one is always a little more emotional, but the second one is probably more beautiful with the season we've had – the wins, the great racing, the teamwork, the one-twos.
"Also we're leading the constructors' so we really want to focus on that as well to try to secure that.
"It's been a pretty special year. It's something you really have to remind yourself of, because these kind of years you don't have very often."
Summing up his emotions, Verstappen added: "It's crazy. I have very mixed emotions, of course, winning the race and also, looking back now, winning the championship. What a year we've had so far.
"It's been incredible and something I never could have imagined happening after last year, already fighting to the end and then having such a good car again this year.
"I'm so thankful to everyone who has been contributing to this success. The whole team that is here but also back in the factory room is working flat out, and they're never missing any motivation to try to make the car faster.
"Besides that, the work we've done together with Honda, all the way through, every year, constantly improving rapidly.
"To win now twice is very emotional, especially here [at Honda's home race and with the Japanese fans], with everyone watching.
"It gives you a little bit more pressure, but it's good pressure, positive pressure. I'm very proud that we could do it here."
Max Verstappen learned he had sealed another Formula One world title only after winning a rain-shortened Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
It had appeared Verstappen would be made to wait until Austin to confirm a second consecutive championship, as his hopes of getting the job done at Suzuka were rocked by heavy rain.
Even when Verstappen crossed the line in first place with just over half the race completed, title rival Charles Leclerc looked to have clung on to second to delay his title celebrations.
But Leclerc's late move to stay ahead of Sergio Perez landed him a five-second penalty, putting the Ferrari man in third and no longer within reach of Verstappen.
The victory for Verstappen moved him clear of Red Bull team-mate Perez, too, and the Dutchman was informed of his triumph only after his initial parc ferme interview.
It made for a bizarre conclusion to a long and controversial day, with initial attempts to start the race lasting mere minutes.
The safety car was out by the end of a first lap that had seen Leclerc briefly get ahead of pole-sitter Verstappen, only to trail again by Turn 1.
A series of incidents behind them in the awful conditions led to a yellow flag, and proceedings were red-flagged by the third lap.
The delay that followed lasted more than two hours, with Verstappen eventually resuming behind the safety car with only 45 minutes available in the race's three-hour window.
A sprint to the finish was without any drama at the front, though, and the title was instead decided by the battle for second as Leclerc left the track and then forced Perez wide.
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