While Max Verstappen still holds a respectable lead in the Driver's standings, three teams are now within 50 points of one another for the Constructors Championship.
Austin, Texas played host to the 2024 Formula One US Grand Prix on October 20, with spectators watching on as Ferrari was able to complete a one-two finish with Charles Leclerc claiming yet another victory in what’s been a very impressive season. Secondary Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz finished comfortably in second place, over 10 seconds ahead of Red Bull driver and current standings leader Max Verstappen. With the maximum number of points snatched in Texas, Ferrari moved to within 48 points of the McLaren team in the Constructor’s standings, with Red Bull situated in between the two and 40 points out.
The placement of Red Bull comes as a shock to those around the sport, as the team and its lead driver have dominated competition for the past two years. While it seemed as if this trend would continue during the first half of 2024, the team has failed to come top of the podium since the early summer, and will now need a miracle if it were to pull off another double victory this season. 40 points is by no means an unattainable amount to overcome, but with the way McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been racing in recent months, there is no indication the duo will be squandering its lead with only five races remaining.
Verstappen still holds a respectable 57-point lead over Norris in the Driver’s standings and appears to be closing in on a fourth straight championship after taking over the sport’s top spot from Lewis Hamilton in 2021. While the results would appear as if the Dutchman has a sizable gap between the abilities of himself and any other competitor, the second half has almost assuredly left Verstappen with a sour taste.
Having failed to find victory now for over four months, the champion has shown frustration with the Red Bull team as he’s been forced to watch Norris and Leclerc celebrate numerous victories since his last. He did receive a little bit of luck, however, as Norris was hit with a five-second penalty after exceeding the track limits to overtake Verstappen late in the race.
Formula One now continues its season in Mexico with the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix scheduled for October 27 and a three-way tie for the favorite on FanDuel to finish top of the podium. Norris, Leclerc and Verstappen are all listed at +260, not leaving much room for disparity for bettors looking to place a wager on the race. Norris is the favorite to finish as the top qualifier, though, with odds of +260 while Verstappen and Leclerc are +300 and +310, respectively.
The mirrored odds from FanDuel is most likely due to how quickly the conclusion of the 2024 season is nearing and how tight the races are for each respective title. Verstappen is still a heavy favorite to win the Driver’s Championship at -550, with Norris the only other driver really considered by FanDuel at +420. After him, Leclerc represents a significant drop in odds at +5000 to pull off a miraculous comeback and Norris’ teammate in Piastri listed fourth at +14000.
Even after the three-way tie at first, a tie for the second-highest odds to win the Mexico City Grand Prix remains between Sainz and Piastri at +900 on FanDuel. The two have performed admirably at different times throughout the season, with Sainz best finishes coming mainly in the first half while Piastri turned it on once the weather warmed during the summer months. Sainz will be departing the Ferrari team once the 2024 season concludes, as seven-time Driver’s champion and current Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is set to take his place.
Hamilton hasn’t been in the title picture for some time now, but is hoping that the switch will bring new capabilities of where his talents can take him. Having won all of his championships with the Mercedes team, it will take some getting used to seeing him dressed in Ferrari red as compared to Mercedes blue.
Hamilton is listed at +1800 to win the Mexico City Grand Prix but will not be challenging for a record eighth Drivers Championship, but should see an upgrade to his vehicle once the move to Ferrari is complete. The relationship between Hamilton and Leclerc will be one of the main storylines of the 2025 season, especially if the opportunity to catch Red Bull remains for both Ferrari and McLaren.
His current teammate at Mercedes, George Russell, is listed at +2000 on FanDuel to win on October 27 and will be seen as the number one driver for the team once Hamilton departs. Mercedes could attempt to bring in a driver near the talent of Russell to create competition, but it has been preparing the British driver for the past few seasons.
With only five races left in the 2024 season, the race for the Constructors Championship should leave plenty of intrigue around the sport for fans and bettors alike. It does seem as if Verstappen will hold onto his crown for another season, but the gap between his capabilities of those of Norris and Leclerc is slowly closing more and more with each passing race.
