The outcome of the Drivers’ Championship may have been decided, but business for F1 2024 is far from settled ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen was in a commanding position to secure a fourth consecutive title in Las Vegas and did just that, but there is still a lot of work for the constructors to do for Red Bull to retain the title and, unlike the case of Verstappen, to enter the previous race. , the odds are not in Red Bull’s favor as F1 2024 comes to Qatar.

Is Red Bull still in the hunt for the Qatar GP?

Verstappen – armed with the buffer advantage he created in a dominant start to F1 2024 – had a job in Las Vegas and took care of business, sealing the deal with a fourth title, but Sergio Perez’s struggles mean the Red Bull face him in the fight for the third consecutive Constructors’ crown.

Qatar marks the penultimate round of F1 2024 and one that was right up there with Singapore as one of the most demanding races on the calendar due to the extreme heat experienced in action around the 5.4km Lusail International Circuit.

McLaren leads the way in the builders24 points up on Ferrari, who closed the gap in Vegas, and 53 up on Red Bull, who now face a last-chance scenario. If Red Bull can’t close that deficit to McLaren in Qatar, it’s game over, as McLaren know that if they enter Abu Dhabi 45 points ahead of Ferrari and/or Red Bull, the title is theirs.

Red Bull will be looking to Perez if they are to achieve that points haul, with the Mexican – who has not finished on the podium since April’s Chinese Grand Prix – hurting Red Bull against the more balanced pairing of Lando Norris /Oscar Piastri and Charles. Leclerc/Carlos Sainz at McLaren and Ferrari respectively.

Senior adviser Helmut Marko is already waving the white flag, saying there’s “no chance” Red Bull can retain the title and for that pointing the finger at Perez, who also plays a big part in the fact that Red Bull employees “don’t will receive their bonuses” for a Builder victory. Can he provide a career lifeline by keeping Red Bull in the mix after Qatar?

Can McLaren prevent a last-race shootout?

So that’s the Red Bull side of the equation, but what about McLaren? Can Lando Norris and his team bounce back from the end of his title hopes in Las Vegas to ensure F1 2024 is not a remarkable but title-less season for McLaren?

Norris bluntly said before Las Vegas that Ferrari, not Red Bull, was the real threat he was monitoring for the Constructors’ title, a view that looked increasingly accurate at the Qatar GP. McLaren could knock Red Bull out of the conversation this weekend, but doing so to Ferrari will be a much taller task.

Sainz claimed 3rd place at Las Vegas and Leclerc P4, two places ahead of Norris and Piastri respectively, marking a continuation of the strong form that has seen Ferrari take the podium at all of the last four rounds – with two wins in part. – and establish themselves as a serious title contender.

Qatar wasn’t Ferrari’s happiest hunting ground last year, with P5 for Leclerc as good as it gets, but Ferrari F1 2024 is a stronger and more consistent threat and the prospect of McLaren turning their 24-point lead into 45 or more after Qatar. The GP – which would secure them their first constructors’ title since 1998, before Abu Dhabi even arrived – seems a long shot.

But could Ferrari be unwittingly giving McLaren a helping hand?

Can Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz get back on the same page?

In theory, Ferrari has an ideal pair of super-talented team players in Leclerc and Sainz to bring the constructors’ title back to Maranello and end this long title drought that has been going on since 2008. However, Las Vegas has produced a dispute that could threaten. that Ferrari dream team.

Leclerc and Sainz may not be in contention for the drivers’ title, allowing for a clear focus on the Constructors’ Championship, but Las Vegas provided fireworks between the Ferrari drivers, with Leclerc launching an X-disgust during the cool-down lap, feeling that Sainz had gone against team orders in overtaking him for the final podium spot, saying he would “only think about me” in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Team boss Fred Vasseur is confident cooler heads will prevail and Ferrari are hoping for the best as contact between the feuding team-mates in their final races together – Sainz on his way to Williams – could spell curtains for their hopes at the title of Builders. All eyes on Qatar!

F1 2024: Head-to-head battles taking place in the Qatar Grand Prix

F1 2024: Head-to-head racing statistics between teammates

F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between teammates

Is Mercedes back again?

The end of Red Bull’s dominant ways made for quite a thrilling battle up front with McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all in on the winning action, but perhaps no team in that group experienced the highs and lows quite like Mercedes.

But just as George Russell bemoaned Mercedes’ inconsistency and Lewis Hamilton acknowledged the heated thoughts of an early Mercedes exit, alongside Las Vegas and an impressive Mercedes one-two, Russell took a second win of his own. season with Hamilton P2.

Not since mid-season have Mercedes achieved such results, so does this signal a strong end to the season for the Silver Arrows? If the answer is yes, then Mercedes could really add an extra layer of intrigue by slotting in between McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull as they relinquish the constructors’ title.

Can Franco Colapinto save his F1 career?

The world of Formula 1 moves at such a fast pace, and that’s not exclusive to what happens on the track. In recent weeks, Franco Colapinto has been rumored to be appointed by Red Bull, either to represent VCARB or the main F1 team in 2025, but such momentum appears to have slowed considerably after Las Vegas.

Colapinto’s huge shunt in Las Vegas qualifying – the impact measuring 50G+ – was the third such incident in short succession after two costly crashes in Brazil, raising concerns about his chances of securing a place in Red Bull F1 2025 plans.

Are his chances broken beyond repair? Maybe. What is certain, however, is that a clean Qatar Grand Prix is ​​absolutely critical for the 21-year-old Argentine if he is to ensure that his appeal to Red Bull does not completely evaporate.

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