Will Verstappen and Russell decide F1 Constructors’ Championship? Qatar telemetry analysis. Max Verstappen vs. George Russell in the Telemetry | Qatar GP.

The Qatar Grand Prix has all the makings of being thrilling but, more importantly, decisive for the Constructors’ Championship.

McLaren extended its lead over Ferrari to 30 points in the Sprint but needs a 44-point advantage by the end of the race to celebrate the title today.

However, in this head-to-head between two of Formula 1’s most storied teams, two wildcards have entered the fray: Max Verstappen and George Russell.

Max Verstappen vs. George Russell in the Telemetry
As shown in the graph below, Red Bull and Mercedes complement each other: the RB20 is extremely fast on straights and in high-speed corners (white circles highlighted), while the W15 is the most competitive car in medium-speed corners (red circles highlighted).

McLaren and Ferrari, beware of the outsiders…
The performance of these two cars will undoubtedly play a key role in determining the outcomes for McLaren and Ferrari.

“Why?” you might ask. The answer is straightforward: Max Verstappen and George Russell have the potential to finish ahead of both McLaren and Ferrari drivers—or between them.

In the first case, they would limit the points haul for both teams; in the second, they could inadvertently favor one team over the other, possibly in a decisive way.

The only scenario in which Red Bull and Mercedes drivers won’t influence the battle is if both finish behind Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, and Carlos Sainz. While possible, this is unlikely.

Now we await the start of the Qatar Grand Prix (scheduled for 5 PM CET), with one certainty: Verstappen and Russell could decide the Constructors’ Championship.