P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Max Verstappen and Red Bull are closing in on equalling a rare F1 record – and it is not one he wants.
Max Verstappen is on the verge of becoming only the second F1 world champion whose team failed to win the constructors’ championship multiple times. Despite his imminent fourth world title after a dominant win in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Red Bull is at risk of losing its constructors’ crown. Verstappen leads the drivers’ championship by 62 points ahead of Lando Norris, with only 86 points remaining – a lead that could secure his fourth championship. However, Red Bull currently trails McLaren by 49 points in the constructors’ standings, with Ferrari between the two due to Sergio Perez’s poor performance. If the expectation of split F1 champions holds true, this would mark Verstappen’s second such split after 2021, making him only the second champion after Nelson Piquet to experience multiple splits. In a historical context, split championships have occurred 12 times, with the first in 1958 when Mike Hawthorn won the drivers’ title for Ferrari while Vanwall claimed the inaugural constructors’ championship.
