2 weeks Ago By Keith Collantine
Max Verstappen’s eighth win of the season last weekend means it is realistically a question of when, not if, he will clinch this year’s drivers’ championship title. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Verstappen has a 62-point lead over Norris in the championship. He needs to be at least 60 points ahead after the next race to win the title.
All the different ways he can achieve that are explained below. The F1 points system is a complicated beast. There are four different scoring systems available depending on how much of a race is completed, plus a bonus point for fastest lap which is only available to the top 10 finishers (this rule will be dropped next year).
Use RaceFans’ F1 Championship Points Calculator to crunch the numbers however the dice fall in Las Vegas: There are three clear circumstances under which Verstappen will clinch the championship in Las Vegas, assuming at least 75% of the race distance is covered and full points are awarded. Verstappen will secure the title if any of these conditions are met: There are also a handful of cases in which Verstappen could finish behind Norris and win the title, which depend on which one of them sets the fastest lap. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free A second place finish for Verstappen will guarantee him the title only if Norris fails to win.
The fastest lap point is irrelevant in this case. A repeat of last year’s win will secure the title for Verstappen If Verstappen finishes third and Norris wins, the championship will not be over. However if Norris finishes second the bonus point for fastest lap will come into play.
Third place plus fastest lap for Verstappen will secure him the title if Norris finishes second. The situation is similar if Verstappen finishes fourth. In that case first or second for Norris will keep the championship alive, but if he’s third and Verstappen takes the fastest lap, the Red Bull driver can celebrate the title two rounds early.
From fourth to ninth places, each position is separated by two points. Therefore if Verstappen finishes fifth, Norris must either finish one place ahead of him and set the fastest lap or finish two places ahead of him to keep the championship alive. The same pattern holds if Verstappen finishes sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth.
If Verstappen is the last driver home in the points and takes the bonus point, Norris needs to finish at least eighth to stay in the hunt. If Verstappen comes 10th without the fastest lap, ninth will be sufficient for Norris. Finally, if Verstappen fails to score, Norris must finish at least eighth, or ninth with the fastest lap.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free If the race doesn’t go the full distance, Verstappen’s chances of winning the title improves. For example, in a 25-50% distance race, Norris must finish at least seventh to have a chance of keeping the title alive; in a sub-25% distance race that becomes third. Beyond that, the other cases above remain true, A win for Verstappen secures him the title and finishing ahead of Norris secures him the title.
To check how Verstappen can leave Las Vegas with the 60 points he needs under these scenarios, select the appropriate points system in the Points Calculator as follows: Get a daily email with all our latest stories - and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here: Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free.
