The stakes for the constructors’ and drivers’ rankings in this final Grand Prix of the 2023 F1 season
If the constructors' title is secured by Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes are neck and neck for second place in this championship. McLaren and Aston Martin are battling for fourth place. The bottom of the standings is also lively.
The constructor standings are not yet final. Abu Dhabi marks the end of the 2023 F1 season, and Red Bull has already secured their sixth constructor title since the Japanese Grand Prix on September 24th. The other teams are fighting to finish as high as possible in this ranking.
Mercedes and Ferrari: the battle for second place
The German team has a four-point advantage over the red team, with 392 points for Mercedes against 388 points for Ferrari. Since Austin, on October 22nd, Sainz and Leclerc have scored more points than Russell and Hamilton. Last season, Ferrari finished second in the constructors’ standings and Mercedes third.
McLaren Vs Aston Martin: who will finish fourth?
McLaren had a very difficult start to the season before gaining momentum with the upgrades introduced at the British Grand Prix on July 9th. Since then, the papayas have achieved nine podium finishes, seven with Norris, two with Piastri, and a victory in the Sprint race in Qatar thanks to the Australian driver. Aston Martin’s dynamic, on the other hand, is the opposite of McLaren’s. Although the green team scored more points than their rivals for the fourth place in the last two Grand Prix races in Brazil and Las Vegas.
The Battle in the Background Grid
Williams (28 points), AlphaTauri (21 points), Alfa Romeo (16 points) and Haas (12 points) can all still mathematically secure seventh place in the standings. Except for Williams, the other three teams have scored fewer points than the previous season. During the Las Vegas Grand Prix, none of these four teams scored any points. The money brought in by achieving the highest possible ranking will be crucial for these backmarker teams.
The drivers fighting for P4
On the drivers’ side, a fierce battle is taking place for the 4th place in the championship. Indeed, currently Alonso and Sainz are tied with exactly 200 points each, while Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc are two potential candidates respectively at 5 and 12 points behind P4.
If Charles Leclerc steps onto the podium once again and the three other drivers don’t perform better than P8, it is therefore possible for the Monegasque to snatch P4 in the championship.
A (fratricidal) battle between the Alpine drivers
At the dawn of this final round of the season, Pierre Gasly is 11th in the championship, 4 points ahead of Esteban Ocon. Therefore, Esteban still has a chance to surpass his new teammate in this last race.
