Max Verstappen could clinch his third straight Formula One crown during the sprint race at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix if he finishes in the top six, or no more than five points behind Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Having opened up a sizeable lead at the top of the F1 driver standings this year, Verstappen will be favourite to add to his tally of 400 points with a 14th win of the season this weekend in Qatar.
However, with Saturday’s sprint event taking place prior to the grand prix on Sunday, the Red Bull star could complete his hat-trick of world titles by finishing sixth or higher in the 28-lap challenge – making him the first-ever driver to be crowned F1 champion by the results of a sprint race.
A top six finish for Verstappen in the sprint would seal the drivers championship regardless of where second-placed Perez ends up on Saturday evening, while a range of other scenarios could still see the Dutchman leave Qatar with his third world title.
Possible scenarios for Saturday’s sprint race
- Verstappen finishes first through sixth: Verstappen wins title
- Verstappen seventh and Perez wins: Verstappen can win title on Sunday
- Verstappen seventh and Perez second: Verstappen wins title
- Verstappen eighth and Perez misses the top two: Verstappen wins title
- Verstappen no points, Perez top three: Verstappen can win title on Sunday
- Verstappen no points, Perez outside top three: Verstappen wins title
Verstappen’s current points advantage over the rest of the field is 177, and he will win the title as long as that gap remains at 146 or more after this weekend.
The action at the Qatar Grand Prix begins on Friday 6 October, with the first practice session scheduled for 2.30pm BST ahead of qualifying for the main race on Sunday, which begins at 6pm.
A sprint shootout at 2pm on Saturday then decides the grid for the sprint race, which starts at 6.30pm and could see Verstappen become world champion with six grand prix races still to go.
Finally, the Qatar Grand Prix is set to start at 6pm on Sunday 8 October.
An anti-climactic end to a record-breaking season?
Following a Red Bull blip in Singapore, Verstappen returned to his all-conquering best at the last round in Japan to take his 13th win from the 16 rounds staged so far and wrap up this year’s constructor’s championship for his team in the process.
And the sight of the Dutchman rocketing under the chequered flag in first place has been a common one throughout his recent championship reign.
Since claiming his maiden title in a controversial season-ender at Abu Dhabi in 2021, he has won 28 of the 38 races staged. That includes a streak of 10 straight victories up until Red Bull’s off weekend in Singapore a fortnight ago, a run which broke Sebastian Vettel’s decade-old record for consecutive victories.
2023 F1 Drivers Championship top 5
- 1. Max Verstappen – 400 points, 13 wins
- 2. Sergio Perez – 223 points, 2 wins
- 3. Lewis Hamilton – 190 points, 0 wins
- 4. Fernando Alonso – 174 points, 0 wins
- 5. Carlos Sainz Jr – 150 points, 1 win
Correct as of 6 October
But when asked whether he would be annoyed at securing this year’s title before Sunday’s main event, Verstappen said: “Not for me. I mean, we can celebrate throughout the weekend. So it’s OK.”
“It’s not like it came out of the blue that I was going to win the championship here or next week,” he added. “I don’t think it really changes a lot.”
Red Bull’s reigning champion said that while celebrations on Saturday night – in the event of a victory through the sprint race – would be “hard”, he and his team “would find a way!”
“And then we’ll see what happens on Sunday,” he added.
