POINTS PERMUTATIONS: How Red Bull can seal their first F1 constructors’ title since 2013 at the United States GP
Red Bull head to the United States Grand Prix looking to do the double and add to Max Verstappen’s title triumph by wrapping up the 2022 constructors’ championship – and the maths are heavily on their side.
Following their fifth one-two finish of the season last time out in Japan, Red Bull hold a massive lead of 165 points over nearest challengers Ferrari, with only 191 more points up for grabs across the remaining four races (with Brazil featuring the Sprint format).
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It means Red Bull need to hold an advantage of 147 points at the end of the Austin weekend to put the championship to bed and secure their first constructors’ crown since the 2013 campaign.
In order to delay Red Bull’s celebrations, Ferrari must outscore their rivals by 19 points at the Circuit of The Americas, with a one-two finish and the bonus point for fastest lap offering 44 points.
Even then, Red Bull could simply finish in P3 and P4 with Verstappen and Sergio Perez to wrap up the title – 27 points being the reward for those two positions.
F1 constructors’ battle
| Key numbers as Red Bull close in on the crown |
|---|
| Points available across the final four races: 191 |
| Red Bull’s current advantage over Ferrari: 165 |
| Points available after the United States GP: 147 |
| Red Bull will clinch the title in Austin if Ferrari fail to out-score them by 19 points |
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If Ferrari fail to maximise their points return (something the Scuderia have only achieved once in 2022, at the Bahrain season opener), a victory and fastest lap bonus point for either Verstappen or Perez would be enough to get the job done.
Finally, if Verstappen and Perez cross the line ahead of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz next weekend, there will be nothing more that Ferrari can do to prevent Red Bull from winning the championship.
