In these scenarios Verstappen takes the world title in Saudi Arabia

The form of Mercedes

With two wins in a row and the difference in the championship now reduced to eight points, the momentum seems to be in favour of Lewis Hamilton, but Verstappen is still ahead in the world championship. That means, that with two races to go, Max could win the world title for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

After the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, there are still 26 points to be divided in Abu Dhabi. This means that with a lead of 26 points or more Verstappen has won the world title. In case of a tie, the number of victories of the title contenders is taken into account and that is now in favour of the Dutchman (nine to seven).

Verstappen, therefore, needs to be eighteen points ahead of Hamilton to secure his world title, which is possible in a number of scenarios. Although the chance of winning is not very big considering the performance of Mercedes in the last couple of races, we will sum up the scenarios for you.

Scenario 1: Verstappen wins with fastest lap, Hamilton finishes sixth or lower

If Verstappen wins the Grand Prix in Jeddah and also takes the point for the fastest lap, he will get 26 points. That would bring his total to 377.5 points. That means Verstappen is world champion if Hamilton finishes sixth or lower. He would then score a maximum of eight points and lose at least the required eighteen points. Hamilton could then match Verstappen's best time in Abu Dhabi with a win and the fastest lap, but would be two wins short of the title.

Scenario 2: Verstappen wins without a fastest lap, Hamilton finishes seventh or lower

If Verstappen does not set the fastest lap, but he does win in Saudi Arabia, Hamilton is not allowed to finish sixth. Hamilton would even be allowed to take the point for the fastest lap. In that case, the Brit loses eighteen points compared to Verstappen.

Scenario 3: Verstappen finishes second with the fastest lap, Hamilton finishes tenth or lower

Max Verstappen can also win the world title in Saudi Arabia by finishing second with the point for the fastest lap, but Hamilton is allowed to score a maximum of one point. That means a tenth place or lower.

Scenario: 4: Verstappen finishes second without a fastest lap, Hamilton ends up outside the points

The last scenario is a second place for Verstappen without a fastest lap. He scores the necessary eighteen points, but Hamilton is not allowed to score any points. A drop out or a score outside the points of Lewis could then result in a title for Max.