One championship was settled in Las Vegas last weekend, with Max Verstappen securing title number four. However, there is still a lot to play for in the final two races of 2024, as the battle for the Constructors’ title reaches its climax. McLaren and Ferrari remain the protagonists of this fight, with the Woking-based outfit having a golden opportunity to seal the deal in Qatar this weekend.
The fight between the two has gotten close thanks to Ferrari’s late-season resurgence. But still, the Maranello-based outfit is 24 points behind, which isn’t too big of a deficit to overcome — especially considering their form.
For McLaren, only a perfect race weekend in Qatar would mathematically secure the Constructors’ title for Woking for the first time since 1998. They need a 1-2 finish in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix. Even that won’t be enough, as either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri will also need to score the extra point for the fastest lap of the race.
Here’s how McLaren can clinch the World Constructors’ Championship this weekend in Qatar pic.twitter.com/WzcsGwsLn3
— Autosport (@autosport) November 27, 2024
However, if McLaren performs like they did in Las Vegas, the ball will be in Ferrari’s court. Norris and Piastri did not have the pace and struggled to get close to the front of the grid in Las Vegas. Norris finished P6, one position ahead of his teammate — a result that they will not want to replicate in Lusail.
On the other hand, Ferrari looked fast under the lights of Sin City despite the lower temperatures affecting their tire grip. Carlos Sainz managed to secure a P3 podium, with Charles Leclerc finishing behind him in fourth. A similar result at the 2024 Qatar GP could see Ferrari close the gap significantly if McLaren again fail to deliver.
A strong result for Leclerc would also be a blow to Norris’ hopes of finishing second in the Drivers’ Championship standings. Leclerc is just 21 points behind, putting the Bristol-born driver in real danger of slipping down the pecking order.
Leclerc eyeing second P2 finish in F1
After the Las Vegas GP, Leclerc made his mission for the final two rounds of the season clear. “Now only 2 races to go, got to maximize everything on my side to try and take that P2 in the driver’s championship and the constructors title. Let’s go,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
If he succeeds, it would be Leclerc’s second-ever P2 finish in the Drivers’ standings, with his first coming in 2022. Form-wise, it seems that Leclerc and Ferrari have the upper hand, with the Monegasque driver being the more recent race winner compared to Norris.
Leclerc won in Austin, whereas Norris’ last P1 came in Singapore. Moreover, Ferrari also seem to have the faster car towards the business end of the 2024 campaign. Hence, despite having the lead, it could be an uphill task for Norris to retain second place.
