As sure as sunrise follows sunset, each season comes to a conclusion. The quantum angels of Miss Physics keep the universe moving in a "time flows in one direction, get over it" manner year after year. So we get to the point in the season where every point matters.

I've previously written about "what is the point", but this is a more literal article about what are the points remaining, where may they be found, and who craves them most?

V. Max has pocketed enough points that like Bilbo with the ring safely in his pocket he can counter any question with a life-saving riposte. What has it got in its pockets? Answer? All the points I need for a World Drivers' Championship, bye! The other nineteen drivers can do what they will. Until the FIA generates a mechanism for the removal of points awarded V. Max is safe. I'm sure he would like a podium or indeed a win, prior to season's end, but it is not necessary. More a nice to have.

Skipping to second place in the standings we have poor Lando. Well not really that poor. Solid money in the bank. Solid watches on wrist. Solid contract for next season... which usefully includes what has turned into a very solid car. Yet he is only a modest 21 points ahead of Leclerc. With two races and a Sprint to go, plus the Ferrari proving quick and Mister Turbo-Charged-Potty-Mouth in no mood to mess around this could still be an exciting tussle. Given Ferrari fancy the constructors' title (more on that in a paragraph or two) and Leclerc's crimson-hot fury at Sainz in 'Vegas we might get some tasty end of season fireworks for second in the Drivers' Championship.

Currently in fourth we have Oscar. On a fine haul of 268 points he has some worries. He is 51 points behind Charles (on 319 points as I type) so mathematically if he grabs the maximum 60 points available he could move to third in the standings. I however think the chances of Oscar winning both remaining races, and Charles bombing out, are minimal. No point to this fight as the season closes out.

Yet if Oscar looks over his shoulder he will see Sainz a mere nine points behind. Why! I don't even need to take my shoes off to count that far. It is a very small margin. Especially as Ferrari fancy a constructors' trophy this year. Expect to see plenty of fight from the Ferrari drivers, including with each other. I'd love to have joined the post-race debrief in 'Vegas. I believe the swear jar would need multiple empties to last the meeting...

Next we have the Mercedes pair flying in formation, as they recently did on the cool-down lap. George a nose ahead on 217, with Lewis just nine points behind on 208. As these two tend to race clean, and are both at the Master Craftsmen stages of their careers I think we can expect some excitement here of the jolly good show kind. While it is my favourite number, I believe the 42 points between Russell and Sainz is too big a gap to close unless the Spaniard suffers a DNF, plus a poor race for the final two rounds.

We then fall down a cliff as we collapse to the mere 152 points of Perez. At this point in the season (just after 'Vegas - did I mention 'Vegas? Big place with world class everything. Say it with me... Veeeeegusssss. There! Doesn't that feel lovely?) Where was I? Ah. Perez. On a saddening 38% of the points of V. Max. In the same car. Given Perez is not a bad driver it is this sort of stat which highlights how much extra performance V. Max drags out of the car, kicking and screaming each race. V. Max has scored 251 points more than Perez. Ouch, that's got to sting. Perez is going to finish a lonely eighth in the standings regardless of what any other driver does, or indeed, regardless of him going home now and not driving the last two races.

Mind the Step! We now plunge from those in triple digits (the top eight) down to Alonso in ninth being the first of the double digit players. 62 points. 90 below Perez. Given how hard he has worked this season Alonso must be wondering what the point is, given the car he has been fighting in this latter part of the season. Like Perez, this will be Alonso's finishing position, regardless of how he drives the last two races.

Fall back another 27 points and we have Hulkenberg. Back another five and we have Tsunoda. Ah! We finally have another battle for the final two races. This will be one to watch as Haas and RB are both keen to finish ahead. Five points between the drivers and only four between the teams! I expect this to be electric for the final two races. Sit back and enjoy! Especially as both tend to be clean drivers, so we can hope for a tough, yet fair, fight.

Then only another four points back to Gasly...then only two more back to Stroll... then! A lone point between Stroll (24) and Ocon (23). Plenty to get excited about here as these drivers engage battle mode to win exceedingly tight contests. Then a mini-gulf back to K. Mag on 14. Yet, as this gap is a modest nine points if we have a surprise in either of the remaining races it is not impossible that K. Mag could leap Ocon. Indeed, if through a freak red/black flag or multiple safety cars K. Mag were to win one of the remaining races he could fly all the way up to tenth place just above Hulk. That would be a crazy end to the season we'd all love to witness!

Albon is only two points behind K. Mag so plenty to fight for there. Ricciardo is tied on 12 points with Albon, but barring a freak replacement run for Perez I'm not expecting Daniel to score again this season. Then lucky last of the point scorers, Colapinto. After flying out of the gates it seems recently that the more he drives the worse he gets. I love the F1 adage You can tidy-up speed, but you cannot speed-up tidy. While Colapinto appears to embrace this concept he might like to equally reflect on To finish first, first you have to finish. While he is a modest seven points behind Albon I do not expect him to score that many points in the remaining races. If he keeps driving as he has the last couple of weekends I'd also not expect him on the grid next year.

Thus, other than the Driver's Championship itself, we have fascinating, and closely matched, battles all across the grid for the drivers. Now. What about the teams?

The top of the team order is a battle Royale. McLaren 608, Ferrari 583 (that's a modest 25 points adrift), then Red Bull on 556 (that's 52 off McLaren's total), then a bit of an air gap to Mercedes on 425, being 180 points off McLaren and 131 off Red Bull. Ok. So the battle here? If all three top teams had two drivers performing we'd see a three-way tussle to the line. As it is with Perez suffering zombie-like abilities behind the wheel, we can count Red Bull out of any fight. They will finish the year in their current third spot. Even if Mercedes finish one-two in the final two races that is only 86 points, well short of the 132 required to pip Red Bull, assuming they score zero in both races.

Ferrari is a different story. With both drivers on fire and flaming each other, the idea of sneaking down the inside rail to win the Constructors' by a nose is very appealing. If they achieve two one-two finishes and claim those 86 points, they'd be sitting on a handy 669 points. With McLaren currently on 608 points that means they need to score more than 62 points to guarantee finishing first. That's a couple of firsts, and a third, or a few other podium-based permutations. Unless McLaren or Ferrari suffer a disaster weekend, the constructors' is set to go to the final lap of the season. Excellent!

Sitting a massive 339 points behind Mercedes, Aston are set to finish in their current fifth spot, as Haas are 36 points further behind them in sixth. Then we reach our last remaining battle zone! Haas on 50, Alpine on 49, and RB on 46. A haul of five points to any of them could totally change the order in this part of the ladder. Six points for a seventh place finish is all any of them needs for a great championship result. That would vault RB from eighth to sixth, or Alpine from seventh to sixth or move Haas further out of reach. Driving for seventh is possible for all six drivers involved in this battle, so expect plenty of mid-field action in the final two races.

Williams are then a lonely ninth on a modest 17 points. Better than nothing... unless nothing is what you desire! The only team assured of tenth and last is Stake. Sitting comfortably on zero, by design one might wonder, please refer to our We're Game! article for musings on why this usually sorry place is a source of delight for incoming Audi. So Williams would need a sudden rush of last minute podiums to amass the 29 points required to surpass RB ahead of them, while they have no need to look in the rear view mirror, as Stake have no desire to catch and pass them.

While we find ourselves with the Drivers' Champion already anointed, there remain many battles throughout the field to give these last two races a point. We are avoiding that dead rubber sadness of other sports where one side is already three-nil up in a five game series, rendering the last two games pointless.

So dear reader as we dance around the sharp edge of the pointy end of the season, we have many fighters looking to pocket the remaining points! We can only hope the TV producer correctly focuses on those cars with a point for the daring overtake, and we can witness the amazing battles away from the front of the field.

Other than the Sprint weekend, I can cheerfully confirm I see a point to tuning in to both final races. The pointy end of the season is about to deliver!

Max Noble

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