McLaren’s drivers are battling for the title, but the real drama might be in the midfield
Just a single point separates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in their McLaren duel, while Verstappen still has a shot at his fourth straight world championship.
But there’s another fight that’s just as nail-biting for the teams further back on the grid.
## The fierce battle for 6th place
Williams looks to have fifth place locked up behind the top teams, but the battle for sixth is turning into one of the season’s most exciting contests.
Only 12 points separate four teams fighting for position.
Racing Bulls currently lead with 72 points, followed by Aston Martin (69), Haas (62), and Sauber (60).
The gap is incredibly tight heading into the Sprint weekend in Brazil.
Racing Bulls jumped ahead thanks to Isack Hadjar’s incredible podium in Zandvoort and Liam Lawson‘s P5 in Azerbaijan. But they haven’t scored a single point since then.
Aston Martin isn’t doing much better. Lance Stroll has only picked up points once since the summer break. Fernando Alonso has had terrible luck with multiple retirements, including in Monza where he was running well in the points. His best finish lately came in Singapore, and that was only because Lewis Hamilton got a penalty.
Haas has suddenly become the team to watch after their performance in Mexico City.
Oliver Bearman has been absolutely on fire, grabbing a career-best fourth place last Sunday. Esteban Ocon added valuable points with his ninth-place finish.
Sauber’s had some bright moments too. Gabriel Bortoleto finished seventh in Monza and grabbed tenth in Mexico, while Nico Hülkenberg took eighth at COTA.
Since the summer break, Racing Bulls and Haas have each scored 27 points, with Aston Martin managing 17 and Sauber collecting 9.
## Second place is still up for grabs too
While McLaren already wrapped up the constructors’ championship in Singapore, the fight for second place remains wide open.
Just 10 points separate Ferrari (356), Mercedes (355), and Red Bull (346).
With several races still to go, millions of dollars in prize money are at stake. The difference between finishing second or fourth could impact next year’s development budgets significantly.
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