Of course no-one remembers who finishes second in the constructors championship, but in the moment the fight to be runner-up matters a great deal to the teams involved.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not least because there are millions of dollars riding on the outcome.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761200708_112_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Based on last year\u2019s known team payouts and on leaks shedding some light on the secret formula that divides up the prize money, a runner-up finish will be worth at least $191.7 million.<\/p>\n
The difference between second and fourth on the title table is worth approximately $26 million \u2014 or around $13 million per place.<\/p>\n
There are also knock-on implications for the complicated bonus payout system that rewards teams for higher championship finishes over the previous decade of competition. The outcome of this year\u2019s battle will have knock-on effects for years to come.<\/p>\n
But the motivation to finish second extends beyond cash.<\/p>\n
Each one of these teams started the year with particular championship aspirations, but all have been routed by McLaren.<\/p>\n
Second, first of the losers, would be mean something to all of them. For some it\u2019s the bare minimum after being smashed by McLaren. For others it would mean a sign of a positive trajectory.<\/p>\n
Only one of them can get there.<\/p>\n
‘Obvious’ Oscar admits to driving change | 02:42<\/p>\n
FERRARI: THE BARE MINIMUM FOR A DISAPPOINTING SEASON<\/p>\n
Championship: 2nd, 356 points<\/p>\n
Highest finish: 2nd (Monaco and Mexico City)<\/p>\n
Poles: 1 (Hungary)<\/p>\n
Best weekend: United States (36 points)<\/p>\n
In assessing who should finish second in the constructors championship, there\u2019s perhaps one stat more important than any other.<\/p>\n
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are more closely matched that you might think, and that is \u2014 and that should, to use that word again \u2014 make the difference.<\/p>\n
Of the three teams vying for second place, Leclerc and Hamilton are the most closely matched on qualifying time, most closely matched on starting position and most closely matched on finishing position at the chequered flag.<\/p>\n
As a result, they\u2019re also the most closely matched on points scored, with Leclerc leading Hamilton by 64 points, 201-146.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a percentage split of 59-41, which is middle of the pack for teammate splits this year.<\/p>\n
That tells us something.<\/p>\n
We know Leclerc has lost none of his abilities this year, which means when Hamilton is close \u2014 which he is increasingly often late in the season \u2014 we can assume they\u2019re getting pretty much the most from the Ferrari car.<\/p>\n
Why is this statistic important?<\/p>\n
Ferrari is up against Mercedes, which is counting mostly on George Russell to deliver the big points while rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli builds experience. Antonelli has returned to being solid since the end of the European season but has contributed only 27 per cent of the team\u2019s total score this year.<\/p>\n
Red Bull Racing, meanwhile, is a one-car team, with Max Verstappen scoring 93 per cent of its 2025 tally.<\/p>\n
Ferrari should surely claim second relatively comfortably simply because of the quality of its line-up.<\/p>\n
Of course should does not mean will.<\/p>\n
While Ferrari has been in the mix with Mercedes and Red Bull Racing this year, it\u2019s had the slowest car on average over a single lap and in race pace. Its only pole, in Hungary, was very much against the grain in a Q3 session in which most drivers failed to better their Q2 times, and it\u2019s yet to really threaten for victory.<\/p>\n
And while in execution it\u2019s been much more astute in recent rounds, this season overall has been poor from the pit wall \u2014 even team boss Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Vasseur has admitted that the year would have looked much better had the team run things more smoothly.<\/p>\n
Still, with four rounds remaining, it leads the race for runner-up. If it can execute cleanly over the last four rounds of the year, it\u2019ll have a decent chance at securing the place.<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t be enough to salvage a season that started with hopes of the constructors championship after last year\u2019s near miss. But it would be enough to save some face after the disappointment of Ferrari\u2019s 2025 season became clear.<\/p>\n
Yuki calls out 12 second pit stop | 02:17<\/p>\n
MERCEDES: AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE<\/p>\n
Championship: 3rd, 355 points<\/p>\n
Wins: 2 (Canada, Singapore)<\/p>\n
Poles: 2 (Canada, Singapore)<\/p>\n
Best weekend: Canada (40 points)<\/p>\n
While second should be the bare minimum for Ferrari, for Mercedes it would be a bonus.<\/p>\n
The team\u2019s expectations under this expiring set of rules have been progressively downgraded the longer the era has lasted, and when it replaced seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton with an untested Italian teenager this season, it was a tacit admission that it didn\u2019t think much would change in 2025.<\/p>\n
That forecast has proved to be largely accurate, with this year\u2019s Mercedes car pretty much as unpredictable as any of its last few machines.<\/p>\n
Russell has been in career-best form to secure two wins on the days the team had the quickest car, and he\u2019s secured podiums on the days when that\u2019s been the most on offer, but the W16 is not a title-pedigree car.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s taken some of the pressure off Antonelli, whose debut campaign has been similarly unpredictable.<\/p>\n
The Italian, bizarrely, has been strongest at the tracks he\u2019s visiting for the first time \u2014 circuits off the European continent, where the junior formulae don\u2019t race.<\/p>\n
Mercedes\u2019s fate in the fight for second has been tied largely to his form. It was second in the standings early in the year, when Antonelli was impressive, but dropped to third during the European campaign, during which the Italian was almost totally scoreless.<\/p>\n
It retook second place in Azerbaijan, the first post-European race of the year, and was the highest scoring team in Singapore.<\/p>\n
It fell back to third in Mexico, where Mercedes was generally uncompetitive.<\/p>\n
With Russell\u2019s strong form almost a given, how Antonelli performs over the final four rounds will be decisive to Mercedes\u2019s finishing position.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s heading in the right direction. He\u2019s already outqualified Russell twice this year, and the margin between them has been slimming. It\u2019s running at 0.288 seconds on average for the year, but it\u2019s been down at just 0.162 seconds since the mid-season break.<\/p>\n
He beat Russell in a grand prix for the first time in Mexico last weekend.<\/p>\n
But in a sense it\u2019s all a bonus for Mercedes. It knew there was a risk that it would underdeliver on the championship table this year as Antonelli came to terms with life as a Formula 1 driver.<\/p>\n
It made the gamble on its young gun despite that risk, believing that the likelihood of short-term pain would pay the team back in coming years, when Antonelli is expected to become a title contender.<\/p>\n
If Mercedes finishes third or fourth, it will be able to justify it based on its rookie driver\u2019s expected struggles over a gruelling 24-round campaign.<\/p>\n
But if Mercedes finishes second, it will be able to herald Russell\u2019s outstanding season and Antonelli\u2019s better than expected debut as the strong underpinnings of a potential new golden era on the horizon.<\/p>\n
Russell continues to fume post race | 03:02<\/p>\n
RED BULL RACING: SAME OLD PROBLEM, NO CLEAR SOLUTION<\/p>\n
Championship: 4th, 346 points<\/p>\n
Wins: 5 (Japan, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Azerbaijan, United States)<\/p>\n
Poles: 7 (Japan, Saudi Arabia, Miami, Great Britain, Italy, Azerbaijan, United States)<\/p>\n
Best weekend: United States (41 points)<\/p>\n
If Red Bull Racing were to rescue second in the constructors championship after having fallen 66 points behind the runner-up position just before the mid-season break, it would be despite, not because of, the way the team is operating.<\/p>\n
It would be a result down almost entirely to what is shaping up to be a career-best season for Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n
The Dutchman has hauled himself back into title contention despite himself having fallen to 104 points off the drivers title lead. He trails now by just 35 points.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the true the car has improved since the mid-season break, with upgrades opening the RB21\u2019s set-up window just enough for Verstappen to be able to unleash his prodigious pace.<\/p>\n
The designers and engineers of Red Bull Racing absolutely deserve credit for the turnaround.<\/p>\n
But inescapable is the fact that Yuki Tsunoda has contributed barely anything to the team\u2019s championship tally.<\/p>\n
Tsunoda has added just 25 points \u2014 just 7 per cent of the total \u2014 during his 18 races with the team.<\/p>\n
True, his pace and score rate have picked up since the mid-season break, but the numbers are of limited impact. This isn\u2019t just Verstappen\u2019s team; this team is Verstappen.<\/p>\n
Consider this: Tsunoda has scored just 7.8 per cent of Verstappen\u2019s total of 321 points. Antonelli has scored 37.6 per cent of Russell\u2019s score. Hamilton has scored 69.5 per cent of Leclerc\u2019s tally.<\/p>\n
Red Bull Racing has 346 points. It trails Ferrari in second place by 10 points and championship winner McLaren by 367 points.<\/p>\n
If Tsunoda was as close to Verstappen as Antonelli has been to Russell, he\u2019d have 121 points. It would put Red Bull Racing comfortably into second place in the constructors championship with 442 points.<\/p>\n
If Tsunoda were as close to Verstappen as Hamilton has been to Leclerc, he\u2019d have amassed 223 points. Red Bull Racing wouldn\u2019t just be second; it\u2019d be closer to McLaren ahead than to Ferrari behind and would still be in mathematical contention for the constructors championship.<\/p>\n
Neither of these tallies considers how many points Tsunoda would be taking off Mercedes and Ferrari in these scenarios.<\/p>\n
They also don\u2019t consider how many points Tsunoda would be taking off the McLaren drivers.<\/p>\n
If Tsunoda were in the mix this season, and if he\u2019d been there from the start, it wouldn\u2019t benefit just Red Bull Racing in the constructors championship; it would benefit Verstappen\u2019s drivers title chance too.<\/p>\n
It underlines the cost of Red Bull Racing\u2019s Verstappen-at-all-costs approach to driver management not just this season but pretty much every season since Daniel Ricciardo left.<\/p>\n
The team finished third in the standings last year despite Verstappen romping to the drivers title. It would have won the constructors championship had Sergio P\u00e9rez been on the pace.<\/p>\n
This year RBR has not only missed a chance to claim the teams title, but it might also leave even Verstappen at his sensational best with too much to do to win the drivers championship.<\/p>\n
If Verstappen were to complete the fairytale comeback, it would be a monumental personal achievement. If the team finishes second in the constructors championship, it will do so despite itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"McLaren has already romped to its second consecutive constructors championship victory, but the fight to finish second to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263511,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[2095,12295,1724,64,63,961,154489,154475,2065,141573,31213,2791,154479,13275,154473,154490,100315,2055,100306,15906,154487,84671,14210,21779,16177,31294,9239,11301,2057,51035,154484,90138,817,154486,813,816,3875,133588,939,2328,941,1737,825,2184,13756,2041,2067,154472,133575,154471,2114,14224,154485,154483,21396,21749,154478,142614,154476,154481,154474,154482,14640,45701,2072,22305,942,2812,3595,85,154480,36772,118926,23055,18508,21784,43367,154488,2614,154477,12000,5077],"class_list":["post-263510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-america","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-azerbaijan","tag-bare-minimum","tag-bonus-payout-system","tag-canada","tag-career-best-form","tag-career-best-season","tag-central-america","tag-championship-winner","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-charles-leclerc-and-lewis-hamilton","tag-complicated-bonus-payout","tag-consecutive-constructors-championship","tag-constructors-championship","tag-constructors-championship-victory","tag-disappointing-season","tag-dominant-back-to-back-winner","tag-driver-management","tag-driver-market","tag-drivers-championship","tag-drivers-title","tag-drivers-title-lead","tag-eastern-asia","tag-eastern-europe","tag-europe","tag-european-campaign","tag-european-continent","tag-european-season","tag-f1","tag-fairytale-comeback","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-george-russell","tag-highest-scoring-team","tag-hungary","tag-italy","tag-japan","tag-lando-norris","tag-max-verstappen","tag-mexico","tag-mid-season-break","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-obliterated-rivals","tag-one-car-team","tag-particular-championship-aspirations","tag-pit-wall","tag-points-scored","tag-positive-trajectory","tag-post-european-race","tag-prize-money","tag-race-pace","tag-rewards-teams","tag-rookie-driver","tag-runner-up-finish","tag-runner-up-matters","tag-runner-up-position","tag-runner-up-team","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-score-rate","tag-sergio-perez","tag-seven-time-champion","tag-singapore","tag-south-eastern-asia","tag-southern-europe","tag-sports","tag-team-payouts","tag-team-radio","tag-teams-title","tag-title-contender","tag-title-contention","tag-title-lead","tag-title-table","tag-title-pedigree-car","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-untested-italian-teenager","tag-western-asia","tag-yuki-tsunoda"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}