What Verstappen Needs To Be F1 Champion In Saudi Arabia

Max Verstappen, 24, could cross the finish line of the Saudi Arabian GP, ​​this Sunday (5), as the newest F1 world champion. It is the first time in the Dutchman’s career that he will compete in a race with a chance of winning the title. The penultimate stage of the year will be held at 2:30 pm (Band broadcasts).

Using a term from tennis and volleyball, the Red Bull driver’s first match-point, however, will not be easy to confirm. Mainly because the only one who will be able to stop him from celebrating is precisely the seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, from Mercedes.

The Brit will even start on pole in Jeddah, followed by his Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen, who was on his way to take first place in qualifying this Saturday (4), crashed on his last lap and will start in third.

The math of the title race is simple: Verstappen needs to score 18 points more than his rival in the Saudi round. This difference, however, only occurred once in the season, at the Monaco GP, won by the Dutch driver, with the Brit crossing the finish line in seventh position, the same one he dropped after being damaged in qualifying.

To get that edge again, the season leader has four possibilities. See below:

Verstappen will be champion if:

• Win the race, make the fastest lap and Hamilton is in sixth place at most.
• Win the race and Hamilton is seventh at most.
• For second place, make the fastest lap and Hamilton is at most tenth.
• Is runner-up and Hamilton doesn’t score.

When considering Mercedes’ results, especially those of the seven-times champion in the last races, the scenario for these combinations to occur can be difficult.

Hamilton revived the championship after two consecutive victories, in Qatar and São Paulo. The Brazilian race, by the way, was especially important for him, as the triumph was a proof of overcoming obstacles in a weekend in which he faced a series of punishments – one of them even made him start in tenth.

Verstappen was second in both races, preventing his rival from further closing the gap between the two in the standings. Currently, the leader’s advantage is 8 points (351.5 against 343.5), at a time when Mercedes is showing more strength.

In this scenario, at the same time that it can decide the championship, the Saudi Arabian GP can make the fight even more exciting. That’s because, if Hamilton wins and takes the extra point for making the fastest lap, even if Verstappen is second again, the two will reach Abu Dhabi, location of the last dispute, on the 12th, tied at 369.5 each.

​Without worrying about the bills, the leader of the season is calm about the chance of being champion in Saudi Arabia. “I feel calm. I know I’ll always try to do the best I can and then we’ll find out where we ended up,” he said. “Nothing has been decided and we are all ready for the challenge. We have a lot of racing ahead and we will give it our all, that’s for sure. It will be an exciting end to the season.”

Despite the close dispute with Hamilton, the Red Bull driver has reason to be confident. After all, he has expressive numbers in the championship and wins the main disputes with the Englishman.

He is the biggest winner of the year (9 vs 7), most poles (9 vs 4) and spent the most laps in the lead in a race (620 vs 228). There is a tie for fastest laps (5 to 5).

“Fighting Lewis in general has been good for the sport. He’s a young guy against the established, multi-world champion, and I think it’s very exciting. And for me, in the end, it doesn’t matter if you’re fighting against someone my age or a world champion, you know they’re both great drivers,” said Verstappen.

The practice that defines the starting grid for the Saudi stage will be played this Saturday (4), at 1:30 pm, with broadcast by Band and Bandsports.