Who else can win the 2024 Formula 1 championship?

Despite Max Verstappen’s dominance at the start of the season and the significant points difference between the top of the table and the chasing pack, there is a feeling that the 2024 season F1 The Drivers’ Championship is still open as we approach the final four races.

In 2024, four teams took victories, and after the summer break, any of the three teams – Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren – competed at several events. So, even with a 47-point advantage over Brazil, Max is not completely safe, especially after the events of the Mexican Grand Prix.

How many races are left?

Results have now been announced for 20 rounds in 2024, leaving just four races remaining: the Brazilian Grand Prix (and sprint), the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Qatar Grand Prix (and sprint) and the season finale of the Abu Grand Prix. Dabi. .

How many points are awarded?

With two sprints and four Grands Prix remaining, there are 16 sprint points up for grabs, as well as 100 Grand Prix points and four for fastest laps still to be competed for. Thus, until the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi, 120 points remain on the account.

Who has the momentum?

After the summer break, Charles Leclerc scored the most points with 129, while Lando scored 116, Max 85 and Oscar 84. So the momentum is largely with the Ferrari driver, but the pace is so dependent on the track that this is the season Perhaps it won’t be like this for long.

Who else can do this job?

Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri are the only drivers still in contention with four rounds remaining. Not even a win for Carlos Sainz heading into Williams could keep him in the hunt in Mexico as he abandoned his mathematical title chances.

Chipping

At the moment, Lando is Max’s closest rival, separated by a pair of 47 points. A controversial penalty for the Briton in Texas meant he lost points for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix in July. But then, in Mexico CityLando regained 10 points – the most he had taken from the Dutchman since his exit from the Australian Grand Prix in March – after Max’s equally high-profile pair of misses.

Closing the 47-point gap is a big task for Lando in four races, but if the other drivers can continue to provide fresh air between him and Max, stealing valuable points from the defending champion, or if Verstappen suffers a DNF, it is still very important. feasible. If Lando had won each of the remaining four Grands Prix and Max had finished third, he would have needed to beat Verstappen by just one position in each of the two remaining sprints and score the one fastest lap point to take the title in Abu Dhabi. None of this is ruled out in 2024.

Reborn in Red

Victories in Monza And KOTA and five podiums in six races after the summer holidays made Charles a driver in good form. After the upgrade package at Monza, the Ferraris looked as fast, if not faster, than the McLarens and Red Bulls on average. Considering that the Monegasque and the Dutchman are separated by 71 points, this is not an easy task, but theoretically still possible if Max suffers some setback in the last rounds.

Charles needs an average of 18 points per race in the last four races to be at the top, and the difference between a win (where Leclerc finished twice in the last five races) and sixth place (where Verstappen finished twice in the last race). five races is 17 points. Again, this is entirely plausible in the context of this season, and when you take into account the points for fastest laps and sprints, it doesn’t seem all that insurmountable.

External chance

Oscar Piastri’s chances of championship glory in 2024 are slim, very slim. But not impossible. With a 111-point gap separating them, the only way he could realistically overcome this deficit would be for Max to DNF in all but one race and for Oscar to win all the remaining races. Of course, this is the most unlikely scenario, but there is still a chance.

Whoever ends up claiming the 2024 crown, the second half of this Formula One season has seen a second wind, keeping fans guessing long after Red Bull’s early-season dominance. One thing is for sure: the final four rounds will see a tantalizing showdown that even the most knowledgeable experts can’t predict.