Red Bull Racing have been mathematically eliminated from 2018 Formula 1 constructor championship contention following the Japanese Grand Prix.
Entering the 17th race on the 21-race 2018 Formula 1 schedule, the Japanese Grand Prix, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing sat in third place in the constructor standings with 292 points. Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport led the standings with 495 points.
As a result of the fact that a maximum of 43 points are on the table for each team in each race since victories are worth 25 points and second place finishes are worth 18 points, a maximum of 215 points were on the table for each team throughout the rest of the season.
Red Bull Racing trailed Mercedes by 203 points in the constructor standings heading into the 53-lap race around the 18-turn, 3.609-mile (5.807-kilometer) Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan, meaning that they were still mathematically eligible to win the constructor championship heading into this race.
More from Formula One
- Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
- Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
- Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
- Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
- Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points
With a maximum of 43 points on the table in each of the four remaining races on the season, Red Bull Racing needed to remain within 171 points of Mercedes in the constructor standings following the Japanese Grand Prix to remain mathematically eligible to win the constructor championship.
The reason that they needed to remain within 171 points of Mercedes as opposed to 172 points is because of the fact that heading into this race, Red Bull Racing had earned three victories while Mercedes had earned eight. This meant that with five races left on the 2018 schedule, Red Bull Racing could have potentially tied Mercedes’ win total.
However, because Mercedes had secured nine second place finishes and Red Bull Racing had only secured two, there was no way by which Red Bull Racing could win a tiebreaker over Mercedes.
Red Bull Racing teammates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo finished the race in third and fourth place, scoring 15 and 12 points, respectively, while Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas finished in first and second, scoring 25 and 18 points, respectively.
As a result, Red Bull Racing left the Japanese Grand Prix with 319 points while Mercedes left it with 538 points. With Mercedes leading Red Bull Racing 219 points in the constructor standings, it is no longer mathematically possible for the Milton Keynes-based team to catch and pass the Brackley-based team to secure the 2018 constructor championship.
This means that Scuderia Ferrari, the team that sit in second place in the constructor standings with 460 points, are the only team that can still win the constructor championship aside of Mercedes.
The 2018 Formula 1 constructor championship battle is officially down to Mercedes and Ferrari, and neither one can possibly be eliminated in the next race, which is the United States Grand Prix. Be sure to tune in to ABC at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 21 for the live broadcast of this race from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.