Red Bull Motorsports
F1
How Max Verstappen can become F1 world champion for the fourth time
Max Verstappen gets his first chance to clinch the F1 title in Las Vegas and we've crunched the numbers, so you don't have to. This is exactly what he needs to do to defend his crown.
01
First chance in Las Vegas
The Formula One world championship isn't officially decided yet, but after a phenomenal performance in Brazil, Max Verstappen has tipped the odds hugely in his favour. With three races to go, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver's lead over title rival Lando Norris is exactly 62 points. This puts Verstappen in a position to end the title contest at the next Grand Prix in Las Vegas. With two races (including one sprint weekend) to go, there may not be enough points for Norris to make up the deficit.
02
How many points are still up for grabs this season?
The state of play heading into the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend is as follows: there are 86 points left to be earned, leaving Norris with a limited margin of error to fight for his first world title. The British driver will have to hit the ground running in Vegas if he wants his dream to come true. Indeed, after Las Vegas, there are only 60 points left to earn - 34 in Qatar (25 + 1 + 8) and 26 in Abu Dhabi (25 + 1). Even if Norris manages to postpone the seemingly inevitable, outlandish things would have to happen for the Dutchman to miss out on the title.
If Max wins in Las Vegas, the title race is over
© Mark Thompson/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
03
How Verstappen can become world champion in Las Vegas
Before we dive into all the different scenarios in which Verstappen can become world champion for the fourth time in Las Vegas, let's put it as simply as possible. Norris needs to make up at least three points on Verstappen to keep his chances of winning the title alive. In that case, his gap to Verstappen after Las Vegas is 59 points. If Norris is 60 points behind after Las Vegas, it is done. Even if Norris then manages to finish the season level with Verstappen, Max will win the title because he has more wins.
If Verstappen finishes in this position…
…Norris must do this to keep the title fight alive
P1
N/A
P2
P1
P3
P2 (or P1 if Max takes fastest lap)
P4
P3 (or P2 if Max takes fastest lap)
P5
P3 (or P4 with fastest lap)
P6
P4 (or P5 with fastest lap)
P7
P5 (or P6 with fastest lap)
P8
P6 (or P7 with fastest lap)
P9
P7 (or P8 with fastest lap)
P10
P8 (or P9 with fastest lap)
P11
P8 (or P9 with fastest lap)
04
The battle for the constructors' championship
Oracle Red Bull Racing are third in the championship prior to the Las Vegas Grand Prix with a points total of 544. McLaren are first with 593 points, while Ferrari have 557. Over the three remaining race weekends, teams can score a maximum of 147 points. So, technically, it's still possible for Red Bull Racing to turn the tide, but given the form of both McLaren and Ferrari, the Milton Keynes-based team will have to pull off a minor miracle to grab both trophies. Nothing is impossible, but it'll be quite a battle.
