What do McLaren need to do to win the 2024 constructors’ championship in Qatar?

The 2024 drivers’ championship might have been wrapped up by Max Verstappen in Las Vegas, but the constructors’ crown remains up for grabs heading into the final two rounds of the season.
McLaren are currently at the top of the standings on 608 points, giving them a 24-point lead over Ferrari in second place on 584 points. Red Bull, meanwhile, are further back in third place, the Milton Keynes squad holding a tally of 555 points.
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So what would each team need to do in order to win the constructors’ championship looking ahead to the weekend in Qatar? We’ve rounded up the answers below…
There are a maximum of 103 points available for a team to score across the remaining two rounds of the championship. To achieve this, the squad in question would need to end both the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix with a one-two result – as well as scoring an additional point for setting the fastest lap – and would also need to finish the Qatar Sprint in a one-two formation.
McLaren would need to leave Qatar with a 45-point lead over Ferrari. Given that a total of 44 points are up for grabs in a traditional Grand Prix weekend, this would be the maximum that the Scuderia could score in Abu Dhabi – meaning that, if they were to do this, they could still not match McLaren.
As the Woking squad currently hold a 24-point advantage, they would have to outscore Ferrari by 21 points in Qatar – as well as not being outscored by Red Bull by nine or more points – in order to claim the constructors’ championship.
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If McLaren win the race, they would only need to outscore the Scuderia by 20 points as, in the event of a tie, the former would win based on countback results.
Ferrari cannot win the constructors’ championship in Qatar – if the team scored the maximum points available during a Sprint weekend by claiming 59 points and McLaren came away with nothing, the Scuderia would enter Abu Dhabi with a 35-point lead.
This would mean that McLaren could mathematically still win it, given the maximum of 44 points available at the finale.
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Red Bull’s chances in third place are much more distant, with the Milton Keynes squad arriving into Qatar 53 points adrift of McLaren and 29 points away from Ferrari.
They could mathematically get back into the lead at the weekend ahead – but this would require them to score a whopping 54 points, with McLaren taking home no points and Ferrari claiming no more than 24.
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