In what ways can Verstappen take the world title?

How can Verstappen take the world title in Singapore?

The world championship leader has been unbeatable in recent race weekends. Before the summer break, he already put the French and Hungarian GPs to his name, then continued happily in the second half of the season. After first places in Belgium and the Netherlands, he crossed the finish line first at Monza too.

It ensures that Verstappen may already call himself world champion in Singapore. To do so, he needs to win the race himself, after which he has to look at the results of Leclerc and Sergio Perez. Whereas the Monegasque cannot finish higher than ninth, Perez should not be found in the top five. Moreover, if Leclerc finishes ninth and Perez finishes in fifth place, either driver must not take the fastest race lap.

Should Verstappen succeed in this, the driver will be world champion early in the season. Indeed, after the Singapore race, only 77.2 per cent of the racing year is over. Incidentally, the Red Bull Racing driver does not thereby take the record, as that remains in the name of Michael Schumacher. In 2002, he managed to grab all the world championship with six races to go, which amounted to 64.7 per cent of the entire season.

What if it fails in Singapore?

Most realistically, however, it will take longer for Verstappen to become untrackable. Formula 1 still distributes 138 points after Singapore, so the current lead will not be enough to keep Leclerc behind him for good. Soon after, however, comes the race in Japan, where Verstappen will have another chance to completely shake off his rival.

Indeed, 112 points remain to be distributed after this race, so Leclerc will have to perform at the top of his game twice to keep a chance. The drivers can then get a maximum of 86 points after the United States, followed by Mexico (60 points), Brazil (26 points) and Abu Dhabi. In short, if Verstappen manages to maintain his current lead, Japan or the United States seem the most realistic for winning the World Cup.

What does Verstappen need if Leclerc wins every race?

Theoretically, by the way, Verstappen no longer needs a win to crown himself world champion. Indeed, even if Leclerc manages to win all six races, he is dependent on Verstappen's performance. In a situation where Leclerc continues to win as well as setting the fastest lap each time, second places in Singapore, Japan and the United States will be enough for Verstappen to retain first place in the rankings.

Even with third-place finishes, Verstappen is on the right side of the line. Indeed, Leclerc could then make up 10 or 11 (in the case of the fastest race lap) points on Verstappen. In that case, it will take until the Mexico GP for Verstappen to accumulate enough points to be world champion, but even then he will therefore beat the Monegasque.

Painfully for Leclerc, Verstappen will also have enough for fourth place. Indeed, the Ferrari driver then has the opportunity to make up 13 or 14 points on Verstappen every race. In that case, the Dutchman can celebrate his world title in Mexico. Leclerc therefore seems best to focus on next season.