With only four races left in the Formula 1 season, this really is the home stretch. Even though McLaren has already officially taken home the Constructors’ championship trophy, there are still questions about whether or not they will win the Drivers Championship.
After the events of the races in Austin and Mexico City the past two weekends, Lando Norris (McLaren) has emerged on top of the leaderboard. However, he’s actually only one point away from his teammate Oscar Piastri. Though Norris was leading in the beginning of the season, Piastri has been leading for a very long time, despite not performing as well since the summer break.
Though the first couple of bad results could have been thought of as a fluke, it seems like Piastri might be losing his edge and choking so close to the end of the season. His lower scoring races, most of which don’t even get him on the podium, have caused Max Verstappen (Red Bull) to be within striking distance from the championship win, despite having a slower start. While no driver having come back from a 30+ point deficit to win the championship in recent years, Verstappen is well on his way to making it happen. George Russell is also mathematically in contention for the championship, but his chances are much slimmer.
If the season continues on as it has for the past couple races, it seems like Norris fans might see their driver win a World Championship. Even so, Verstappen fans are holding out hope for a fifth World Title for him. Piastri, being only one point behind, still holds the ability to win, though it seems like his performance would need to get infinitely better from here on out.
Unfortunately for Piastri, it looks like it’s going to rain in Brazil next week, something that usually spells chaos and a Verstappen win. Hopefully it will live up to expectations!