Max Verstappen entered Las Vegas facing possible elimination in the drivers' championship but exited with renewed hopes of winning a fifth straight title after stewards shockingly disqualified both McLaren cars for excessive skid wear.
Once trailing then-championship leader Oscar Piastri by 104 points after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Verstappen is now even with the Australian in the standings and behind Lando Norris by only 24 points for the top spot.
The ball is still very much in Norris' court, with the McLaren pilot needing to outscore Piastri and Verstappen by just two points each at the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix to seal the deal. However, there's blood in the water for Verstappen, as he sniffs an improbable comeback for the ages.
Below are a handful of scenarios in which Verstappen could be crowned world champion. One objective in crafting these potential outcomes was to avoid situations where Piastri finished one position ahead of Norris in the season finale, since that would likely prompt a team-order swap.
Scenario 1 - Verstappen wins the last two races and the sprint, while Norris places second and sixth in the races and second in the sprint.
Scenario 2 - Verstappen wins the last two races and the sprint, while Norris finishes third and fourth in the races and second in the sprint.
Verstappen would win on countback in this scenario due to having more wins (8) than Norris (7).
Scenario 3 - Verstappen wins the last two races and the sprint, while Norris places second and fifth in the races and third in the sprint.
Verstappen would win on countback in this scenario due to having more wins (8) than Norris (7).
Scenario 4 - Verstappen wins the last two races and the sprint, while Norris scores zero points in at least one more race.
Scenario 5 - Verstappen wins the last two races, while Norris wins the sprint and finishes second and seventh in the races.
