Formula 1: Carlos Sainz’s Mexico dominance came at a (small) cost

Formula 1: Carlos Sainz's Mexico dominance came at a (small) cost

As a seasoned gamer and Formula 1 enthusiast with over two decades of racing under my belt, I must say, the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix was nothing short of thrilling! Carlos Sainz Jr.’s victory was an absolute masterclass, narrowing the gap between him and Max Verstappen significantly.

At the Mexico City Grand Prix held at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Carlos Sainz Jr. found himself 139 points behind Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 world championship standings. A total of 146 points were up for grabs across the remaining five race weekends of the 2024 season.

In a thrilling race on the winding 2.674-mile, 17-turn road course of Mexico City, Mexico, I clinched my second win of the year and fourth career victory, starting from pole position. By doing so, I narrowed Verstappen’s lead by 17 points, as he ended up placing sixth in this three-time world champion’s title defense.

As a gamer, I find myself playing catch-up with Verstappen, trailing him by 122 points. However, the good news is there are only 120 points left on the table for the final four races in Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. It’s a tough challenge, but it’s still a game worth playing!

Sainz eliminated in Mexico; three Verstappen challengers remain

In a fair assessment, Sainz wasn’t really contending for the world championship in 2024; however, the 2024 season demonstrated that there’s always an exception to every rule. Unfortunately, he has now been ruled out, and remarkably, his chances of winning dropped to zero after securing a Grand Prix victory.

A race winner scores 25 points, and he can earn an additional point by recording a race’s fastest lap. There are also two sprint races remaining on the schedule in Brazil and Qatar, and a sprint race winner scores eight points.

In other words, only three racers – Lando Norris from McLaren, Charles Leclerc from Ferrari, and Oscar Piastri also from McLaren – are theoretically in contention to dethrone Verstappen as this year’s world champion. The points gap between them and Verstappen is 47 points for Norris, 71 points for Leclerc, and 111 points for Piastri.

In the upcoming race in Brazil, both Leclerc and Piastri may be disqualified if they don’t close the gap of 86 points with the 27-year-old Dutchman. This is because they need to maintain their championship eligibility for the race in Las Vegas a few weeks later.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, Max Verstappen remains the top contender for the world championship title with odds of approximately 4.4 to 1. Coming in second is Lando Norris, who has odds of around 3.3 to 1, followed by Charles Leclerc at roughly 31 to 1 and Piastri at a long shot of about 190 to 1.

Odds and availability are subject to change.

Tune into ESPN2 this coming Saturday, November 2 at 9:55 a.m. ET for the live broadcast of the sprint race at Interlagos Circuit. On Sunday, November 3, catch the Sao Paulo Grand Prix live on the same channel starting at 11:55 a.m. ET. To ensure you don’t miss any of the thrilling action from this pivotal race weekend, why not sign up for a free trial of FuboTV today? This weekend marks race number 21 on a remarkable 24-race calendar for the year!

2024-10-28 17:32

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