General
Millions on the line for Formula 1 teams during the final tripleheader
Three Grands Prix and a Sprint event remain on the calendar for the teams to collect points in the 2024 Formula One season. As the season soon comes to an end, important money is on the line in the constructors' standings in the competition. There are two battles still ongoing, one at the top, and one in the midfield.
There is no fixed amount of the actual prize money teams would get at the end of the 2024 season, as the actual figures are kept secret. In 2023, based on Autosport's estimate, the winning team, Red Bull Racing received $140 million, while bottom-placed Haas estimatedly earned $60 million.
The battle for the constructors' title
Entering the final tripleheader, McLaren lead in the standings with 593 points. Ferrari are in P2 with 557 points, while Red Bull closely follow the Italians with 544. Given that obviously two cars could score points each weekend, McLaren's 36-point lead could disappear already in Las Vegas. For now, Ferrari do have a slight advantage, and that is they do not need to worry about having a driver fighting for the individual title.
Given how close the teams are at the front compared to especially the 2023, an interesting battle awaits the fans. Both McLaren and Ferrari are eager to win the title, given that the British team are on the edge of missing out on the drivers' championship with Lando Norris, and a Ferrari driver was never in a potential fight. Not at least after how things unfolded following the Monaco GP.
After the Ferrari's one-two finish at COTA, Carlos Sainz addressed he is only not hopeful about doing well in Qatar, saying "that is not a Ferrari track at all". McLaren's team principal Andrea Stella also said following the Sao Paulo Grand Prix: "In terms of the Constructors' Championship, I don't think it changes anything because it was always our priority. Even when there was a call to be made to support one driver or the other, it was always secondary to actually maximising the Constructors' Championship."
For Red Bull Racing, the main target remains the same: Help Max Verstappen over the line to win his fourth title against Norris, something that could happen already in Las Vegas. Moreover, Sergio Perez is yet to find form. Given the RB20's performance after the summer break, the Austrians could be happy with securing Verstappen's victory, everything else in 2024 is a bonus.
The midfield battle
Entering the last tripleheader, Haas seemed like the team that was hoping to defeat VCARB to finish sixth in the standings. During the US Grand Prix, its Sprint, and the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Americans scored points every time, with Kevin Magnussen finishing seventh on two occasions. Nico Hülkenberg also scored seven points in that period, as they could successfully overtake their Faenza-based rivals, while VCARB only scored two points in Mexico thanks to Liam Lawson.
Then came the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Suddenly in a two-horse race, Alpine jumped both teams with a double podium finish (33 points earned on a single day), and Gasly already scored points in Mexico and the Brazil Sprint as well. What's worse for Haas is that while they scored 0 points after the chaotic Sunday, both Yuki Tsunoda and Lawson finished in the Top 10.
As a result, only five points separate the three teams in the standings. Alpine have 49, Haas have 46, and VCARB have 44 points for now. Therefore, this battle might only be decided in Abu Dhabi.
If there will be another chaotic weekend, all teams could also dream big, as one team failed to score points since the autumn break: Aston Martin. After Fernando Alonso finished in P7 in Singapore, they have never finished in the Top 10, or in the Top 8 during a Sprint. Lance Stroll is yet to score points since the Hungarian Grand Prix. Still, it might just be enough for the Silverstone-based side to finish fifth, as they lead Alpine by 37 points.
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