With a 125-point lead over the second-placed driver, in this scenario, his own teammate, Max Verstappen, seems to be in the running to retain his Formula 1 Championship for yet another year.
The Dutch driver moved ahead with the summer break with ten victories to his name, eight of them in a row. Hence, if everything goes the same, he wouldn’t be much far to bag his third title.
Max Verstappen to seal his third F1 title?
He is leading by incredible points, which is equivalent to dive race wins. Hence, to catch him, Checo Perez would need to finish the first five times, assuming Verstappen didn’t score in either of them.
Even then, to cross-pass him, Perez will need the fastest lap point or keep up the good run ahead of his teammate. This is a hypothetical and completely unrealistic scenario so far as Verstappen has always concluded on the podium in every Grand Prix so far.
That being all done, the maths seems to give every driver on the grid a chance. So, when could Verstappen mathematically seal the championship?
In case Verstappen wins the next four Grands Prix, and Perez concludes lower than seventh, the title is already sealed at the conclusion of the Japanese GP. Therefore, the stage for the third title would be the same as the one he bagged for it second time last year.
That victory would also equal his last year’s record of 14 wins, with which he had broken a record, and he has a chance to pass this year with ten races still up for the season. In case, Verstappen wins every race and Perez comes second, the championship must wait until the Qatar Grand Prix. There, even if they did a double in every race, the Dutchman would bag the title. If the Mexican finishes third and not second, the scenario will stay the same.
Can he win the title without winning a race again?
The way the first season has been, it’s tough to assume something like this might happen. In case it does, he would still stand a chance to win the title. For that, he must finish second to Perez in every race and sprint.
Following this, the title wouldn’t come until Brazil, with two races remaining to conclude the season of clear Red Bull dominance. If the Dutchman finishes third and not second, he can still be the champion but needs to wait until Abu Dhabi.
Like Verstappen, the team is willing to retain the title as well. Like its driver, the team has a big lead in the Constructor’s standings with a 256-point gap over second-placed Mercedes.
However, considering the drivers’ championship, six teams stand the chance of bagging the title by the end of the season: Alpine, McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Mercedes.
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