Max Verstappen is the favorite to win a third straight title at next month’s Qatar Airways Grand Prix, and he may not even have to wait until the race if he gets the job done in the water race withdrawn on Saturday (October 7).
After his 13th victory of the 2023 season at the Suzuka Grand Prix, preventing the Red Bull driver from equaling the record for the most wins in a season, Verstappen was 177 points ahead of teammate Sergio Perez in the standings. class.
The Mexican last beat his teammate in round 4 of the campaign in Azerbaijan, where Pérez scored the second of his two wins so far in 2023. Since then, Verstappen has only gone from strength to strength. strengthened to take the lead in the championship, taking that position by a record. breaking the record of 10 consecutive wins, a streak that only ended in Singapore earlier this month, when Carlos Sainz won for Ferrari.
Verstappen’s victory in Japan, where Pérez endured a nightmare race and had to retire, left the Dutchman with 400 points scored compared to his teammate’s 223. With 180 points from the remaining six races, Verstappen’s 177-point advantage means he has just three points left before the end of the season to win a third straight title.
The Qatar Grand Prix is the first of two consecutive sprint weekends, meaning the driver who wins the sprint and race on Sunday and sets the main event’s fastest lap will have maximum 34 points.
But even a perfect weekend won’t help Perez’s cause, as Verstappen will win the title if he leaves Qatar with a gap of 146 points. Regardless of what Perez does on Saturday, Verstappen will be crowned sixth in the F1 sprint.
To keep his ‘hope’ alive before Sunday’s race (October 8), Perez needs at least third place in the sprint, regardless of Verstappen’s results. In the worst case scenario for Verstappen, with Perez winning on Saturday and failing to score, the two-time champion would be crowned eighth on Sunday, regardless of his teammate’s results.
On the other hand, Perez must win Sunday’s race to delay Verstappen’s celebrations. Any other result would not be enough for the Mexicans. If Perez equals Verstappen’s total points, Verstappen will still win the championship based on the number of wins achieved.
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