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Fresh from the lights of Las Vegas, it’s time to switch continents for two more night races in the Middle East. Off the back of another thrilling race on Saturday night, there are plenty of talking points that are likely to come up as the paddock arrives in Qatar.
Max Verstappen might have tied up the drivers’ championship with his fifth place in Las Vegas, but the battle to be constructors’ champions remains as close as ever.
Three teams enter the penultimate round of the season separated by just 53 points, and with it being a Sprint weekend in Qatar there is a maximum of 59 on offer across the two races. That means any one of McLaren, Ferrari or Red Bull could be leading by the time the chequered flag falls on Sunday.
READ MORE: Piastri concedes Ferrari’s Las Vegas points haul is ‘not ideal’ in tight constructors’ battle
But as the leaders, only McLaren can win the title this weekend. Their current advantage of 24 points would need to be extended by 21 over Ferrari in order for them to secure the championship. That’s because Abu Dhabi is not a Sprint, meaning there’s a maximum of 44 points that can be scored at the final race.
Ferrari closed the gap by finishing ahead of both McLarens in Las Vegas, but this is a track that is expected to suit Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s car more due to its high-speed nature.
Don’t rule Mercedes out of the fight for victory either. After their dominant one-two in Las Vegas they are confident their car will still be relatively well-suited to the smooth Qatar layout.
READ MORE: ‘We are close to turning things around’ – Perez insists he can still bounce back after ‘out of sync’ Las Vegas GP
Las Vegas saw celebrations after Verstappen’s championship success, but it was a slightly bittersweet weekend for Red Bull as they missed a chance to get right back in that constructors’ fight.
McLaren were somewhat off the pace and could only manage a sixth and seventh, but Sergio Perez again struggled in qualifying and was eliminated in Q1, going on to score one point in tenth on Saturday night.
That result led to comments from Helmut Marko about Perez’s future, saying there will be a proposal about the team’s driver line-up situation given to Red Bull shareholders after Abu Dhabi, and then the shareholders can make a decision on whether Perez retains his seat or is replaced.
Yuki Tsunoda impressed again with another Q3 appearance and top-10 result in Las Vegas – his second in a row – while Liam Lawson has delivered some strong performances since his return to a race seat. There have also been rumours relating to Franco Colapinto’s availability beyond this year, so Red Bull are likely to have multiple options that they can consider.
But Perez has a contract and has had races this year where he has managed to shine. If he can repeat that in both of these last two rounds then he could give himself a better chance of retaining the drive.
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There was big news this week as Formula 1 confirmed it has reached an agreement in principle with General Motors for them to enter the championship in 2026 as an 11th team.
Greg Maffei, President and CEO of Liberty Media, said: “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport.
“We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1. We are excited to move forward with the application process for the GM/Cadillac team to enter the Championship in 2026.”
READ MORE: Statement on General Motors application to join FIA Formula One World Championship in 2026
Not only is the race for the overall constructors’ title a thrilling one, so too is the battle that has unfolded for sixth place in the championship.
What appeared to be a two-team fight between Haas and RB was turned on its head by the Alpine double podium in Brazil, moving them above both teams into sixth place. That was a result that was not in keeping with how the early part of the season had gone for Oliver Oakes’ team, but did come amid recent gains after some impressive car development.
In Las Vegas they were again in the mix for points after Pierre Gasly qualified an excellent third, but those hopes faded when he was forced to retire early on. And both Haas and RB took advantage with scores of their own, as Nico Hulkenberg came out on top of a tense fight with Yuki Tsunoda for eighth place.
The result moved Haas back into sixth place by a single point from Alpine, while Tsunoda’s score means RB are just three points behind Alpine and four adrift of Haas. Every point is crucial, and this fight looks set to go down all the way to the final laps of the year.
READ MORE: Hulkenberg ‘very pleased’ as Haas reclaim P6 while Magnussen left to regret Las Vegas strategy calls
There are other championships that could be decided in Qatar, too, but not in Formula 1.
F1 ACADEMY returns for its penultimate round, featuring two races across the weekend at Lusail International Circuit. Although they will also race in Abu Dhabi, the drivers’ championship looks likely to be won early, with Abbi Pulling enjoying a 95-point advantage over Doriane Pin in the standings.
Pin won the opening race of the season but Pulling was second and has gone on to win seven of the nine races since. With 25 points on offer to the winner of each race, plus two points for pole position and one for the fastest lap, there are currently a total of 112 still up for grabs.
If Pulling finishes in the top two in the opening race in Qatar she will be champion, or if Pin fails to win then the Briton will take the title regardless of her own result.
In Formula 2, things are a little more complex.
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Gabriel Bortoleto leads the championship by just 4.5 points over Isack Hadjar, and while he can theoretically win the title this weekend it would require a fairly complex set of results. Hadjar is also looking to bounce back from a run of four races without scoring a point, since he won the feature race in Belgium back in July.
Bortoleto – who will race in F1 for Sauber next season – can also mathematically be caught by Paul Aron, Jak Crawford, Kimi Antonelli and Victor Martins, although certainly the latter three are big outsiders.
Bortoleto has seen two potential rivals drop out of the running mid-season, though, with third-placed Zane Maloney not completing the year as he has now switched to Formula E, while Franco Colapinto – currently seventh in the standings – has been racing for Williams.
Don’t miss your chance to be at the next Grand Prix and experience F1 in the desert setting of Lusail…
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