Formula 1: McLaren could lose one championship threat in Brazil

There are four Formula 1 teams still mathematically in contention to win the 2024 world constructor championship, though the top three have separated themselves from the fourth in the standings.

McLaren lead Ferrari by 29 points, with Red Bull sitting a further 25 points back. Sitting in fourth place, Mercedes are still mathematically eligible to win their first title since 2021, but they trail McLaren by 200 points.

There are 206 points left on the table for each team throughout the final four race weekends of the record-breaking 24-race 2024 season.

Mercedes facing elimination in Brazil

A team can score up to 44 points in a Grand Prix (25 for the win, 18 for the runner-up finish, and one for the fastest lap) and 15 in a sprint (eight for the win and seven for the runner-up finish).

In addition to the four Grands Prix in Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, there are two sprints remaining on the calendar in Brazil and Qatar.

But following this weekend's 24-lap sprint race and 71-lap Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the 15-turn, 2.677-mile (4.308-kilometer) Interlagos road course in Sao Paulo, Brazil, there will be just 147 points left on the table this season.

This means that Mercedes need to take at least 53 points out of McLaren's lead this weekend, and even if they manage to do that, they also need to get at least 24 points closer to Ferrari. They need to avoid falling further behind Red Bull as well, but by scoring 53 points, that's a guarantee.

McLaren have no way to eliminate Ferrari or Red Bull in Brazil, but depending on the results of the sprint and the Grand Prix, there is a path for the Woking-based team to potentially clinch their first world championship since 1998 in Las Vegas in a few weeks.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, McLaren are listed at -260 to win the world championship, followed by Ferrari at +180. Red Bull are listed as a +5000 longshot, while Mercedes are listed as an even bigger longshot at +50000.

Odds and availability are subject to change.

All action from Interlagos Circuit, including Saturday's sprint race at 9:55 a.m. ET and Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix at 11:55 a.m. ET, is set to be shown live on ESPN. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now if you have not already had the chance to do so!