Motor Racing
Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship Title Race Predictions
Only three names remain in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship title race, with just three races left in the season. It’s all to play for.
Lando Norris took home top honours in Brazil last weekend, having landed the Mexico Grand Prix two weeks prior, lengthening his gap at the top to 24 points from teammate Oscar Piastri.
Max Verstappen, who has won the Drivers’ Championship for the past four years, sits in third position 49 points behind Norris at the top.
With 25 points awarded to the winner of each Grand Prix, all three drivers are still very much in the race for the title, but this weekend’s clash in Las Vegas will be decisive in the outcome.
In this blog, we delve into how each of the drivers in the top three in the standings reached their current positions, as well as their odds for winning the Drivers’ Championship.
Lando Norris 1/8
Lando Norris opened his account this season in the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia and has since gone on to win six more. He ended last season with four wins and has the opportunity to reach the 10-win milestone in a single season this year.
McLaren have utterly dominated the competition this season, with a combination of talented drivers and a top-performing car leading to 14 wins from the 21 races so far. They are a full 358 points ahead in the Constructors’ Championship.
At 1/8, the Drivers’ Championship looks firmly in Norris’ grasp to finally end the reign of Max Verstappen, however, he’ll need to score some points in the final three races to seal the deal and end what has been a fantastic season for the British driver.
It’s his to lose.
Oscar Piastri 6/1
Oscar Piastri has mounted quite the challenge this season, also picking up seven wins after only landing two Grand Prix last season, which is testament to the changes McLaren have made to their car in preparation for this campaign.
Now 6/1, the Australian driver was as short as 1/4 back in August after landing the Netherlands GP, but has since failed to top the podium in the six following Grand Prix, which has seriously halted his momentum and allowed his teammate to rocket past him in the standings.
That said, he’s only a win away from closing the gap to Norris, but it’d require his teammate to suffer a zero-point race next time out. Although unlikely, Piastri is very much still in the running.
Max Verstappen 12/1
The four-time champion is by no means in pole position for the title this year and will be solely reliant on how the McLaren drivers perform in his bid for five consecutive Drivers’ Championships.
After a relatively slow start to the season, by his standards, he’s managed to claw back the points in recent weeks with wins in Italy, Azerbaijan and the US, recovering some of the deficit and is within reach of the top two.
Although racing fans are yearning for a new name on the Champions’ list, there’s no doubt that Verstappen would garner the respect of everyone should he manage to win five consecutive titles.
