At the sharp end of the table, the battle for P2 in both drivers and constructors has definitely been affected over the last few races. Mercedes and Ferrari have found themselves to be relatively evenly matched across the season, currently only being separated by 20 points. Brazil however proved difficult for both teams. Both Hamilton and Russell found themselves going backwards in the race, with George Russell later retiring due to engine oil temperature issues. Charles Leclerc didn’t even make it to the grid, with the hydraulics in his car giving up on the formation lap, sending him into the barriers. Carlos Sainz struggled with his clutch pedal all weekend, giving dismal point totals for two of the biggest teams in the sport. It also doesn’t help in Hamilton’s fight for P2 in the championship against Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. Perez missed the podium in Sao Paulo by just 0.05 seconds, but still comfortably outscored Hamilton. 32 points now separate the 2 drivers, which means Hamilton would be looking for Perez to have a couple very bad races to round off the season, making the disqualification he faced even more significant if he finishes the season within 18 points of P2.
Further down the constructors table lies the battle for P7. For a while this year, 7th has looked a pretty forgone conclusion for Williams, rebounding after a difficult 2022 campaign. However, a revitalised Ricciardo and an ever-stronger Tsunoda have closed that gap significantly across Mexico and Brazil, jumping from 10th to 8th with 2 races left to go. A slim 7-point advantage separates them. Given the points distribution, this won’t be an easy feat to achieve for Alpha Tauri, though it seems they will finish comfortably ahead of Alfa Romeo and Haas, where Haas in particular have gone backwards with their upgrades. Despite the gap being only 6 points between these 2 teams, if Mercedes and Ferrari return to form, without retirements in the final races, it will be even more difficult for the teams lower down to sneak into the points.
Finally, there is just 1 seat left to confirm for the grid, being Logan Sargeant’s at Williams. Having now scored a point at the US Grand Prix, and showing clear signs of progress in Mexico and Brazil, it seems very likely that Sargeant will see out a second year in the Williams outfit. We await official confirmation from Williams, though it does appear he is scheduled to do post season testing with the team, a good indicator that he will be sticking around.
