The Title Is Settled, the Fight Isn't: Five Drivers Chase Second Place as Formula 1 Heads for Las Vegas

Formula 1 crowned its champions early this year. Kimi Antonelli clinched the drivers' title at the Mexico City Grand Prix, and Mercedes wrapped up the constructors' championship in Brazil on Nov. 8. Crash.net reported that it is the Silver Arrows' first constructors' title since 2021 and their ninth overall, and the team leaves Sao Paulo with 652 points. Antonelli sits on 390.

So with three races left, is there anything still worth watching? Look past the top of the table and the answer is a loud yes.

The Brazilian Grand Prix was a wet, wild afternoon that ended with McLaren's Lando Norris on top. It was his third win of the season and his first since the Dutch Grand Prix in August, according to Crash.net. Norris started from pole, Sports Illustrated reported, but lost the lead at the start to Antonelli and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson before surviving a late downpour.

The race began on intermediate tires, and with roughly 10 laps to go heavy rain sent the entire field back to the pits for intermediates again, SI reported. Antonelli, who had been leading, reported a problem with his car after his stop, was told by the team it was tire temperature, and then spun, handing the lead to Norris.

Max Verstappen produced the drive of the day. After grid penalties and a late red flag in qualifying left him on the back row, he charged through the field to finish second, a result RaceFans flagged as a runner-up finish from the lowest grid position since 1983. His Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar completed the podium for the fourth time in his career. Behind them came George Russell and Antonelli for Mercedes, Oscar Piastri, Lawson, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg. Hamilton gained nearly 10 places at the start but faded on worn tires and survived a late spin, SI reported.

The championship is settled, but the race to be runner-up is wide open. After Brazil, Verstappen holds second with 279 points, Russell is third with 262, Hamilton fourth with 261, Leclerc fifth with 249 and Norris sixth with 246. Russell jumped past Hamilton into third by a single point, Crash.net reported. RaceFans counts 75 points still available to each driver, which means just 33 points cover five drivers, and every one of them can still finish the year second.

The constructors' battle behind Mercedes matters too, because finishing position decides prize money and pride. Ferrari holds second with 510 points, 95 clear of Red Bull on 415, and McLaren is just 17 points behind Red Bull on 398. RaceFans counts 129 constructors' points left on the table. PaddockNews24 noted that Ferrari has everything to play for in Las Vegas, with Hamilton, Leclerc and Norris separated by just 15 points.

The final stretch begins on American soil. Las Vegas is the first race of a closing triple-header, with lights out on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 11 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. local time. From there the series heads to Qatar on Nov. 27-29 and Abu Dhabi on Dec. 4-6, races Formula 1 has confirmed will go ahead despite the conflict in the region, with Italy's Imola circuit stood down as a backup, GB News reported.

For American fans, there is another storyline worth following: Cadillac, the new American entry on the grid this season, is still chasing its first championship point. Every team starts somewhere, and the Las Vegas Strip would be a fitting place for a breakthrough.

There is something admirable about a season that keeps meaning something after the trophy is spoken for. The apostle Paul wrote about the value of finishing the race, not just starting it, and these last three weekends will show which drivers still have that fight. Verstappen proved in Brazil he is not coasting. Russell and Hamilton are separated by one point. And Norris, who won the last race, is closer to second place than he looks.

Teams will spend the next week preparing for the long straights and cold night temperatures of the Las Vegas street circuit. Mercedes has nothing left to clinch, but Antonelli will be racing for pride as champion, while five drivers and three teams arrive in the desert with real points on the line.