the scenarios in which Max Verstappen could win his third F1 World Championship

Max Verstappen may win his third Drivers’ Championship in the Qatar Grand Prix after dominating the season with 13 victories in 16 races.

He now leads Sergio Perez in the championship by 177 points after gaining the maximum number of points available at Suzuka. There are a total of 180 points available in the final six races, including 156 from the Grands Prix and 24 from the remaining Sprint races.

Mathematically, Verstappen could win the title as early as Saturday’s Sprint race in Qatar, making him the first driver in 35 years to win a championship before the start of a Grand Prix.

The previous time this happened was in 1987, when Nigel Mansell backed out of the Japanese Grand Prix due to a crash during Friday practice, effectively giving the championship to Nelson Piquet.

Even if Verstappen fails to complete the Sprint race, Perez must finish at least third on the road to keep the championship alive.

Regardless of where Verstappen places in the Sprint race, Perez will be proclaimed World Champion if he finishes lower than fourth.

Even if Verstappen collects zero points and Perez wins, he can still win the championship on Sunday.

A seventh-place finish in the Qatar Grand Prix will be enough to secure his third title. To keep his prospects alive, Perez would need to win the race and hope that Verstappen finishes outside of the top eight.