Max Verstappen could win his second world championship at the Japanese Grand Prix on October 9.
Verstappen had his first chance to finish the title in Singapore last week, although it was always a long shot – as it turned out, Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc, the only two drivers who had a chance to deny his title ta, finished first and second as Verstappen struggled for seventh place.
The Dutch driver has a much more realistic chance of winning the title at Suzuka, which is hosting its first race since 2019.
How does it stand now?
Verstappen holds the lead in the championship.
He leads Leclerc by 104 points and teammate Sergio Perez of Red Bull by 106 points, with five races and a maximum of 138 points remaining – in previous years that number could have fallen to 130 points, but November’s Brazilian Grand Prix has eight more points. Points are provided due to the fact that it is hosting a sprint race on Saturday.
To be crowned champion at Suzuka, Verstappen needs 112 points more than the second-placed driver in the title as he will win a head-to-head matchup against either driver, no matter how many laps he wins. race.
Clinking Situations
If Verstappen wins the race
If Verstappen wins the race and gets extra points for the fastest lap, he’ll win the title no matter where Leclerc and Perez finish.
If Verstappen wins the race and doesn’t get extra points for the fastest lap, Leclerc can only keep the title fight for the US Grand Prix by finishing second. Any lower and he will have no dispute.
A Verstappen win would remove Perez from contention, regardless of who scores the fastest lap bonus.
If Verstappen doesn’t win the race
Verstappen must be at least six points ahead of Leclerc and Perez by at least eight points to win the title.
F1 points are awarded to the top ten finishers such as: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1, with points awarded to whoever places the fastest lap (as long as they finished Top ten).
Verstappen cannot win the title if he finishes seventh or below.
How dominant has Verstappen’s season been?
This is not uncharted territory for an F1 driver. If Verstappen wins the title at the Japanese Grand Prix, he will be the third driver to finish the championship with four races left to run. Previously only Michael Schumacher (2001 and 2004) and Sebastian Vettel (2011) have done that.
A victory on Japanese soil seemed a reasonable bet. Verstappen has won 11 of 17 races this season. Perez’s win in Singapore marked a five-match winning streak for his teammate. In contrast, Leclerc and Perez won a total of 5 races for the whole year.
