Can the 2025 F1 Constructors’ Championship be Determined This Week?
That’s what McLaren is hoping for.
Heading into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren was leading the pack with a 337-point advantage over Ferrari, looking strong for the championship. But, things didn’t go as planned. Oscar Piastri crashed on the very first lap, and Lando Norris struggled to finish in seventh, marking it as one of their toughest weekends of the season. The team didn’t even get to pop the champagne.
Now, with the Singapore Grand Prix next on the calendar, the competition is getting ready for one of the most physically grueling races. Interestingly, though, Team Papaya can take a moment to breathe after the race.
Let’s go over how McLaren could clinch the title this weekend.
As the week starts, McLaren holds 623 points for the season. Only two teams, Mercedes and Ferrari, can still mathematically challenge them. Mercedes is at 290 points, while Ferrari trails slightly with 286.
With three remaining F1 sprint races, the maximum points available to teams is 346. Points are awarded as follows: 25 for a Grand Prix win, 18 for second place, 8 for sprint race victories, and 7 for second at sprint races. A 1-2 finish in a Grand Prix nets 43 points, while the same in an F1 sprint earns 15 points. So, teams could earn up to 58 points during the upcoming sprint weekends: US Grand Prix, Sao Paulo Grand Prix, and Qatar Grand Prix.
Hypothetically speaking, if Ferrari or another competitor were to secure 1-2 finishes in all the remaining races, they could reach 346 points.
However, post-Singapore, only 303 points remain. This means McLaren needs to maintain a 303-point lead to secure the Constructors Championship in Baku. With 12 Grand Prix wins this year, McLaren has already tallied the most victories. If the championship ranks are tied after Abu Dhabi, McLaren will still take the title based on their higher number of wins.
Red Bull, thanks to Max Verstappen’s four wins, is the nearest rival in the wins category, but they won’t be able to surpass McLaren with just seven races left.
So, how can McLaren secure it this weekend?
Gaining 13 points would bring them to 636 overall. One driver finishing fourth and another earning one point would suffice. Currently, Mercedes is right behind with 290 points. Even if they clinch a front-row lockout with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finishing 1-2, they would only accumulate 43 points, making their total 333.
Even if Mercedes sweeps the remainder of the races and McLaren scores nothing else, they’d still tie at 636 points. However, McLaren’s 12 wins would grant them the title in a tiebreaker against Mercedes’ eight wins.
If McLaren scores exactly 13 points and reaches 636, a 1-2 finish from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton would tally Ferrari to 329, leaving them behind McLaren by more than 303 points.
Finishing in fourth and tenth would yield the necessary 13 points, but there are various ways to achieve this. Points distribution for an F1 Grand Prix is as follows:
- First: 25 points
- Second: 18 points
- Third: 15 points
- Fourth: 12 points
- Fifth: 10 points
- Sixth: 8 points
- Seventh: 6 points
- Eighth: 4 points
- Ninth: 2 points
- Tenth: 1 point
So, as long as at least one driver crosses the podium, they could hit that 13-point mark. Or a combination of fifth and sixth, or fourth and fifth would also work.
This season has seen only two races (Canada and Azerbaijan) where both Piastri and Norris failed to make it onto the podium.
Surprisingly, there’s a scenario where McLaren could clinch even if both drivers finish outside the points, though that’s been quite rare this season. If McLaren simply stays at 623 points, Mercedes would need to amass 303 points and secure a podium finish for both their drivers, a feat that only happened once this season.
For Ferrari to keep their hopes alive, they need to score at least 35 points if McLaren leaves empty-handed.
Notably, Ferrari hasn’t taken a win this season, and Lewis Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium at a Grand Prix either.
Despite missing out on the title in Azerbaijan, McLaren’s chances for a second consecutive Constructors Championship look strong as they head into the Singapore weekend.
