In Las Vegas they were again in the mix for points after Pierre Gasly qualified an excellent third, but those hopes faded when he was forced to retire early on. And both Haas and RB took advantage with scores of their own, as Nico Hulkenberg came out on top of a tense fight with Yuki Tsunoda for eighth place.
The result moved Haas back into sixth place by a single point from Alpine, while Tsunoda’s score means RB are just three points behind Alpine and four adrift of Haas. Every point is crucial, and this fight looks set to go down all the way to the final laps of the year.
F1 ACADEMY and F2 titles
There are other championships that could be decided in Qatar, too, but not in Formula 1.
F1 ACADEMY returns for its penultimate round, featuring two races across the weekend at Lusail International Circuit. Although they will also race in Abu Dhabi, the drivers’ championship looks likely to be won early, with Abbi Pulling enjoying a 95-point advantage over Doriane Pin in the standings.
Pin won the opening race of the season but Pulling was second and has gone on to win seven of the nine races since. With 25 points on offer to the winner of each race, plus two points for pole position and one for the fastest lap, there are currently a total of 112 still up for grabs.