Formula 1: Carlos Sainz Jr. facing elimination in Singapore

Carlos Sainz Jr. can be mathematically eliminated from winning the 2022 Formula 1 world championship in the Singapore Grand Prix.

Following the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. is one of five drivers with a chance to win the 2022 Formula 1 world championship.

Of those five, however, Sainz is in the worst position following his fourth place finish in this 53-lap race around the 11-turn, 3.6-mile (5.794-kilometer) road course in Monza, Italy.

Sainz sits in fifth place in the driver standings, 148 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

With six races remaining on the 22-race 2022 schedule, this means that Sainz can be mathematically eliminated from title contention in the next event.

This race, the Singapore Grand Prix, is scheduled to take place at Marina Bay Street Circuit this Sunday, October 2.

Race wins pay 25 points, and a race winner can score an extra point for running the race’s fastest lap. There is also one sprint qualifying race left on the 2022 calendar, and the winner of that earns eight points.

As a result, there are still 164 points on the table for each driver before the season ends. Following the 61-lap race around the 23-turn, 3.146-mile (5.063-kilometer) temporary street circuit in Marina Bay, Singapore, that number will drop to 138.

Sainz has no way of securing the tiebreaker over Verstappen, as Verstappen already owns 11 wins this year and Sainz can only achieve up to seven, having won the British Grand Prix back in July.

So if Sainz is 137 or more points behind Verstappen following this race, he will be mathematically eliminated from championship contention.

However, Sainz has plenty of reasons to finish the season strong, sitting just 32 points behind teammate Charles Leclerc for second place in the standings.

In his first season with Ferrari, Sainz surprised many last year when he finished two spots ahead of Leclerc in the championship, and finishing ahead of him again in the first year of the new regulations would be huge, especially since he has not yet been ahead of him in 2022.

Between the Ferrari pair are Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and George Russell, who sit just 23 and 16 points ahead of Sainz, respectively.

Leclerc, Perez, and Russell could also be eliminated in the Singapore Grand Prix, and if that happens, Verstappen would be crowned world champion for the second consecutive season with five races remaining. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was already eliminated after the Italian Grand Prix.

The Singapore Grand Prix is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from Marina Bay Street Circuit beginning at 7:55 a.m. ET this Sunday. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and don’t miss it!