Formula 1: McLaren world title would add to Max Verstappen’s legacy

Formula 1: McLaren world title would add to Max Verstappen's legacy

As a seasoned gamer who has witnessed the highs and lows of Formula 1 over the years, I must say, the recent turn of events has left me thrilled. McLaren’s resurgence under the spotlight is nothing short of remarkable! Red Bull, with their dominance for more than two years, seems to be faltering, opening up a golden opportunity for McLaren to snatch the constructor championship for the first time since 1998.

Lately, McLaren’s performance has significantly improved, while Red Bull appears to be struggling with their RB20 development. This shift has made McLaren, based in Woking, the clear frontrunners to claim the Formula 1 constructor championship for the first time since 1998.

Through fifteen races on this history-making 24-race schedule, Red Bull maintains a 30-point lead over McLaren in the constructor rankings. They’ve been at the top of the standings for over two years without interruption.

However, over the past five and nine races respectively, McLaren has significantly reduced their initial deficit, closing the gap that was once 115 points behind after the first six events.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, McLaren is considered a strong favorite to clinch the constructor championship, with odds of -340, while Red Bull follows closely behind, boasting odds of +250.

3-time world title holder Max Verstappen has claimed victory in seven Red Bull races this year, but they were all secured before the tenth race of the season. This marks his longest losing streak of five consecutive races since the 2020 season, a time when he had only managed nine career wins.

He now has 61, good for third place on the all-time wins list.

Lando Norris of McLaren clinched his second triumph this season at Circuit Zandvoort, marking his first win since early May when he grabbed his initial career victory in Miami. Currently, he is 70 points behind Verstappen in the driver rankings, managing to outperform him by 11 points during the last four races.

This year, Verstappen remains the top contender for his fourth world championship, with odds of -330, while Norris follows closely behind at +250, signifying his chances for a maiden victory.

However, even if the 26-year-old Dutch driver doesn’t secure a fourth championship this season, winning a McLaren constructor title could significantly enhance his lasting reputation in an extraordinary manner.

In every season where Verstappen secured his initial twenty victories, his team failed to claim the Constructors Championship. This fact encompasses his ten triumphs from 2021, a year when he captured the Drivers’ Championship, with Mercedes managing to outperform Red Bull in the team rankings.

In that particular season, it was uncommon for the driver champion’s team to miss out on the constructor title, a situation not seen since Lewis Hamilton clinched the 2008 world championship with McLaren, but Ferrari took the constructor crown instead.

If McLaren takes the constructor championship this year, Verstappen will likely have accumulated an additional seven victories, taking his total to 27.

Only eight other drivers in Formula 1 history have ever won 27 races total.

Among drivers who competed in seasons where their team didn’t claim the constructor championship, only one other driver has won more than 27 races.

Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, has the most career victories among all drivers with 105 wins. So far this year, he’s added two more to his tally. Interestingly, when his team hasn’t clinched the constructor championship, Hamilton has managed to secure just 24 wins (reducing to 20 if we account for the fact that McLaren accumulated more points than any other team in 2007, but were later disqualified due to a spy scandal).

Schumacher ranks second overall with 91 wins, and he has more victories (32) than any other driver when it comes to seasons where his team didn’t secure the constructors’ championship title.

In 1994 and 1995, the seven-time world champion in this sport helped Benetton to secure their first two titles. This achievement boosted the team significantly, resulting in them clinching the constructor title in 1995. Later on, he won another five consecutive titles with Ferrari, marking the beginning of a new era in the early 21st century.

Among all drivers, only a few have achieved at least 27 career victories. These include Sebastian Vettel (53 wins), Alain Prost (51), Ayrton Senna (41), Fernando Alonso (32), Nigel Mansell (31), and Jackie Stewart (27). However, it’s worth noting that Prost stands out as he has 21 victories in seasons where his team didn’t win the constructors’ championship.

Vettel accumulated 19 victories, Stewart earned 15, Senna secured 14, and Mansell managed 10. However, Alonso’s count of 18 needs to be adjusted to 14 when considering McLaren’s disqualification in the year 2007.

The Italian Grand Prix, a round in the 2024 Formula 1 calendar, is scheduled to air live on ESPN from Monza starting at 8:55 a.m. ET this coming Sunday, September 1st. Verstappen has been the victor of this race for the past two years. Sign up now for a free trial with FuboTV and make sure you don’t miss it!

2024-09-01 13:32