Red Bull Racing teammates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are facing mathematical elimination from 2018 Formula 1 championship contention in the Singapore Grand Prix.
Following the 14th race of the 21-race 2018 Formula 1 season, the Italian Grand Prix, just six drivers are still mathematically eligible to win this year’s driver championship.
The six drivers who are still mathematically eligible to win this season’s driver championship are driver standings leader Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and the five drivers who are currently within 175 points of Hamilton’s point total, as there are a maximum of 25 points on the table in each race for each driver and there are seven races remaining on the 2018 schedule.
Hamilton currently leads the driver standings with 256 points. Scuderia Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen sit in second and third place in the standings with 226 points (-30) and 164 points (-92), respectively. Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas sits in fourth in the standings with 159 (-97) points.
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Because of the fact that there will be six races remaining on the 2018 schedule following the Singapore Grand Prix, all drivers who are not within 150 points of Hamilton at this time will be mathematically eliminated from championship contention. Vettel, Raikkonen and Bottas cannot possibly fall 150 points behind Hamilton upon the conclusion of this race.
However, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing teammates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, who currently sit in fifth and sixth place, respectively, in the driver standings, can fall 150 points behind Hamilton once the 61-lap race around the 3.147-mile (5.065-kilometer) Marina Bay Street Circuit in Marina Bay, Singapore concludes.
Verstappen currently has 130 points, meaning he trails Hamilton by 126 points. In order to avoid being eliminated from championship contention in the Singapore Grand Prix, he will need to avoid being outscored by Hamilton by more than 24 points.
Ricciardo currently has 118 points, meaning he trails Hamilton by 138 points. In order to avoid being eliminated from championship contention in the Singapore Grand Prix, he will need to avoid being outscored by Hamilton by more than 12 points.
If either one of the two Red Bull Racing drivers manages to somehow win the 2018 Formula 1 driver championship, it would take a miracle and would be by far the biggest upset in the history of the sport. It’s not like either one of them is going to pull it out. But when will they find themselves mathematically eliminated from championship contention? Will the Singapore Grand Prix, the 15th race on the schedule, be the race after which they no longer have even the slightest chance to pull off this upset?