The battle for sixth in the Constructors Championship is close. Four teams sit inside 22 points of each other. Racing Bulls hold sixth with 90 points. Haas sit seventh with 73. Aston Martin follow with 72. Kick Sauber stay in reach with 68. One strong weekend changes the order. One mistake ruins a season. Each team has strengths, weaknesses and clear pressure points. The final rounds will decide who adapts, who stays calm and who wastes chances.
Racing Bulls: control, speed and a clear target
Racing Bulls hold the advantage in sixth place and with a comfortable gap of 17 points between themselves and Haas (7th), they look like the team to finish sixth.
After a successful weekend in Las Vegas with Isack Hadjar finishing 6th and Haas only pikcing up 1 point they have put themselves in a great position.
Throughout the season they have been one of the teams to snap up points whenever they present themselves, along with Williams of course. After a couple of weekends in which Haas put some pressure on, the Las Vegas Grand Prix was definitely needed.
As long as they avoid any drastic mistakes in the final two races they should be comfortable enough to beat the other three teams to the 6th place finish.
Haas: strong qualifying, weaker Sundays
Haas improved more than expected this season, thanks to strong performances from Oliver Bearman in both Mexico and Brazil, Haas have put some pressure on Aston Martin and have now overtook them in the championship.
Las Vegas allowed them to overtake the Silverstone team with Ocon finishing in ninth and Bearman 10th. They have been solid as of late and Vegas was another example of some good fortune aligned with strong racing.
If they carry on in this vein there is no reason why they can’t hold onto 7th place ahead of Aston Martin and Kick Sauber however, it won’t be easy so they will have to be at their best in the remaining two races.
Aston Martin: potential without execution
Aston Martin sit one point behind Haas, they haven’t had the best of times as of late going three races without a single point (except the 6th place finish for Alonso in the Brazil Sprint Race).
Their car shows flashes of speed especially in qualifying but over the race distance they have been lacking the pace to match the teas around them in the midfield battle. In Vegas they were unfortunate to have Lance Stroll DNF due to contact from Bortoleto on th eopening lap but it would have still been a struggle for them to score points with Alonso finishing 11th after qualifying 7th.
They are definitely in the fight for 7th place with Haas but they need to be careful and need to improve their performances with Kick Sauber only 4 points behind them.
Kick Sauber: slow start, strong recovery
Kick Sauber sit ninth but remain dangerous, more points scored in Las Vegas thanks to Nico Hulkenberg who finished 7th meant they outscored both Haas and Aston Martin.
They have had their moments during the season where they have looked competitive and will be hoping that this form remains in the last two races.
If things stay as they are Kick Sauber are poised to finish ahead of Aston Martin and could potentially challenge Haas for 7th place.
Prediction
Racing Bulls stay sixth. Their pace, consistency and strategy record give them enough margin. They need simple execution and nothing more.
Haas take seventh. Their qualifying strength keeps them ahead of Kick Sauber. They will score more small point finishes, even with tyre degradation.
Kick Sauber take eighth. Their upgrade momentum gives them stronger late-season results than Aston Martin. They remain inconsistent on Saturdays, but their race pace improves enough to jump ahead.
Aston Martin fall to ninth. They produce pace but lose points through race management. The pattern has repeated enough to expect the same outcome. They must fix too many problems in too little time.
Final view
Four teams, four different strengths, one tight battle. Racing Bulls hold the advantage. Haas depend on strong Saturdays. Kick Sauber depend on late-season momentum. Aston Martin depend on clean execution they have yet to show. Sixth place rewards stability and control. Racing Bulls have both. The rest fight for the leftovers.
