Formula 1: The other drivers still technically in the championship hunt

Believe it or not, there are still drivers other than Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton mathematically eligible to win the 2021 Formula 1 world championship.

The 2021 Formula 1 season has seen an epic world championship battle between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton through the first 16 races on the 22-race schedule.

Neither driver has sat lower than second place in the driver standings at any point throughout the season, and neither driver has led by more than eight points over the last seven races, a span during which both drivers have held a lead of exactly eight points and the lead has been exchanged four times.

These two drivers have pulled away from everybody else in the standings by winning 12 of the season’s first 16 races; while the 2021 season has seen six different winners, the most since the 2012 season saw eight, nobody else has more than one win.

But believe it or not, mathematically speaking, there are still several other drivers with a chance to win the title.

Yes, really. So as meaningless as this should prove to be, let’s do the math here.

Race wins are worth 25 points each. That makes 150 points over six races. Now add the one additional point per race (six) for the fastest lap, and that makes 156. Finally, add the three points that are to be awarded to the sprint qualifying race winner ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix. That makes 159.

As of now, there are still five drivers other than Verstappen and Hamilton who are within that 159-point range.

Take a look at the top seven in the driver standings heading into today’s United States Grand Prix.

Rank – Driver: Points (Behind)
1 – Max Verstappen – 262.5 (0)
2 – Lewis Hamilton – 256.5 (-6)
3 – Valtteri Bottas – 177 (-85.5)
4 – Lando Norris – 145 (-117.5)
5 – Sergio Perez – 135 (-127.5)
6 – Carlos Sainz Jr. – 116.5 (-146)
7 – Charles Leclerc – 116 (-146.5)

And yes, you can still bet on these other five drivers to win the world championship, though you would need to be pretty silly to do so.

Take a look at the odds for the top two, courtesy of WynnBET.

• Max Verstappen -165
• Lewis Hamilton: +120

Make your pick now at WynnBET!

After today’s race, that 159-point range will become a 133-point range, meaning that it is very possible that as many as four of these other five drivers will be officially knocked out of contention by the time it concludes.

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The United States Grand Prix is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from Circuit of the Americas beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET this afternoon, so be sure to start your free trial of FuboTV today if you have not yet done so!