Formula 1: Mercedes secure 6th straight title, win 2019 championship
By Asher Fair
Mercedes have been crowned Formula 1 constructor champions for the sixth consecutive season, sealing the deal in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport entered the 17th race on the 21-race 2019 Formula 1 season, the Japanese Grand Prix, at Suzuka Circuit a total of 162 points clear (571 to 409) over Scuderia Ferrari in second place in the constructor standings.
Because there are a maximum of 44 points (25 for winning, 18 for finishing in second place and one for recording the fastest lap) on the table for each driver in each race, Mercedes entered this race needing to outscore Ferrari by at least 14 points to secure the 2019 constructor championship.
Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas won this 52-lap race, shortened from 53 laps as a result of a system glitch that led to the checkered flag being displayed one lap early, around the 18-turn, 3.609-mile (5.808-kilometer) Suzuka Circuit road course in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan to score 25 points and teammate Lewis Hamilton finished in third place to score 15. Hamilton recorded the race’s fastest lap to score an additional point. In total, Mercedes scored 41 points.
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Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finished in second and sixth place and scored 18 points and eight points, respectively. In total, Ferrari scored 26 points.
As a result, Mercedes outscored Ferrari by 15 points in this race to take a 177-point lead (612 to 435) in the constructor standings with only four races remaining in the season, making them the 2019 constructor champions.
The Silver Arrows have now won six consecutive constructor championships, as they have still not failed to win a constructor championship since the V6 turbo hybrid era began in the 2014 season.
The Brackley-based team are now just the second team in Formula 1 history to win six consecutive constructor championships, as Ferrari won each of the constructor championships that were decided from the 1999 season through the 2004 season.
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When will a team other than Mercedes win a Formula 1 constructor championship, and which team will pull it off? It hasn’t happened since Red Bull Racing won the 2013 title, marking their fourth consecutive constructor championship.
Will Mercedes become the first team in Formula 1 history to win seven consecutive titles in the 2020 season? They certainly appear to be the early favorites to do so for next year given how they have dominated the V6 turbo hybrid era thus far, winning 86 of the 117 races that have been contested.