(Losail) The race for the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship is officially over, with five rounds remaining. The next one is at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on October 22.
It had been clear for months that Dutchman Max Verstappen was destined to retain his title, even before the Red Bull driver made it official on Saturday during the sprint event in Qatar. He followed it up with a victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Despite this, there are still some intriguing moments to come between now and the end of the season. There’s Red Bull and Verstappen closing in on records, Sergio Perez clinging to second place in the drivers’ standings, and the return of Formula 1 to Las Vegas after more than 40 years.
Here’s a look at some of the stories to watch in F1.
Verstappen has 14 wins this season – not counting sprints – and he needs another to equal his own record of 15, set last year.
Red Bull has 16 and will need to win four of the last five races to erase the record of 19 wins in a season set by Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton when they were battling for the title in 2016.
No team has ever managed to sweep all the events in the same season. That feat is now beyond Red Bull’s reach following Carlos Sainz Jr.’s victory for Ferrari in Singapore last month.
The team that came closest to perfection was McLaren, which took 15 wins in 16 races with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1988.
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez is in a slump – he placed 10th on Sunday in Qatar – after giving the impression of being a championship contender earlier in the season.
He is still second in the standings, 30 points ahead of Hamilton, but could lose that spot without significant improvement over the final five races.
Perez scored just one point on Sunday, but he was helped by Hamilton’s troubles when he was involved in a collision with Mercedes teammate George Russell. Perez will also benefit from the presence of his home crowd at the Mexican Grand Prix on October 29.
The McLaren team has excelled since making significant improvements to its car ahead of the British Grand Prix in July.
If Verstappen makes a mistake or suffers a mechanical failure – although either outcome seems near impossible – it could pave the way for a first career victory for Lando Norris.
The latter has been on the podium 11 times since the start of his F1 career, but never on the top step.
His rookie teammate Oscar Piastri could also benefit, having placed first in Saturday’s sprint race.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix, which takes place on November 18, will certainly provide a colorful spectacle, even if the drivers don’t have much left to enjoy on the track.
F1 previously raced in Las Vegas in 1981 and 1982, on a temporary circuit located in the Caesars Palace parking lot. The new layout is much more spectacular, with cars speeding along the “Las Vegas Strip” at night.
