Max Verstappen could be crowned champion in Qatar
Max Verstappen had a misstep in Singapore. For the first time this year, he didn't finish on the podium, but still managed to score points ahead of Sergio Perez. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, was able to regain some points.
We need to bring out the calculators. Max Verstappen’s underperformance in Singapore slightly delays his chances for the title. With a fifth-place finish, there are still three men capable of preventing him from obtaining a third championship.
With his last place in the streets of the city-state, Fernando Alonso is very close to being officially eliminated from the title race. The Spaniard is trailing by 204 points and there are still 206 points left to be distributed.
In Japan, if Max Verstappen wins with the fastest lap in the race, the Spaniard will be definitively eliminated. The same goes for Lewis Hamilton, even if he finishes second. The Dutchman would have 400 points and the Briton 196. That’s a difference of 202 points, with only 180 left.
| Grand Prix | Points à distribuer après ce GP | Si Max gagne avec le meilleur lap | Si Lewis termine deuxième | Écart | |
| 1 | Singapour | 206 | 374 | 180 | 194 |
| 2 | Japon | 180 | 400 | 196 | 202 |
| 3 | Qatar Sprint | 172 | 408 | 203 | 203 |
| 4 | Qatar | 146 | 434 | 221 | 211 |
| 5 | États-Unis Sprint | 138 | 442 | 228 | 212 |
| 6 | États-Unis | 112 | 468 | 246 | 219 |
| 7 | Mexique | 86 | 494 | 264 | 227 |
| 8 | Brésil Sprint | 78 | 502 | 271 | 228 |
| 9 | Brésil | 52 | 528 | 289 | 236 |
| 10 | Las Vegas | 26 | 554 | 307 | 244 |
| 11 | Abu Dhabi | 0 | 580 | 325 | 252 |
There will be only Sergio Perez left in the equation. The performances of the Mexican driver will be closely watched. But detailing all the possibilities for the upcoming races would make the calculations too complicated and give us a headache. And we don’t want to cause a shortage of Doliprane in pharmacies. So we will settle for the ease: Max Verstappen first with the fastest lap in the race and his teammate in second.
| Grand Prix | Points à distribuer après ce GP | Si Max gagne avec le meilleur lap | Si Sergio termine deuxième | Écart | |
| 1 | Singapour | 206 | 374 | 223 | 151 |
| 2 | Japon | 180 | 400 | 241 | 159 |
| 3 | Qatar Sprint | 172 | 408 | 248 | 160 |
| 4 | Qatar | 146 | 434 | 266 | 168 |
| 5 | États-Unis Sprint | 138 | 442 | 273 | 169 |
| 6 | États-Unis | 112 | 468 | 291 | 177 |
| 7 | Mexique | 86 | 494 | 309 | 185 |
| 8 | Brésil Sprint | 78 | 502 | 316 | 186 |
| 9 | Brésil | 52 | 528 | 334 | 194 |
| 10 | Las Vegas | 26 | 554 | 352 | 202 |
| 11 | Abu Dhabi | 0 | 580 | 370 | 210 |
In these conditions, Max Verstappen would then be crowned champion right after the main race, in Qatar. Even if Sergio Perez were to retire this weekend, in Suzuka, his teammate would not be crowned champion, as he would be four points short. If this were to happen, the Dutchman would therefore have to score four more points than the Mexican in the sprint race, in Qatar.
