How much prize money McLaren could earn if they win the 2024 Constructors’ Championship

Very few McLaren fans or even staff within the team itself would have been expected to be in the position they are right now with three races to go this season.

At the beginning of the 2024 Formula 1 campaign, McLaren were the fourth-fastest team on the grid having made significant progress the previous year.

However, they kept adding updates to their car that had a positive impact and then they took their most important step forward at the Miami Grand Prix.

Lando Norris won his first Formula 1 race that day, and just a few months later Oscar Piastri added his name to F1’s growing list of Grand Prix winners.

Piastri has struggled recently compared to his usually high standards, while Norris hasn’t quite been able to capitalise on every opportunity presented to him this year.

While Red Bull and Max Verstappen have won more races than both McLaren drivers combined, consistency has been the key for Andrea Stella’s team.

McLaren now have a 36-point advantage over their nearest challengers Ferrari, with Red Bull a further 13 points back.

While the Drivers’ Championship is what the majority of F1 fans concentrate on, teams earn prize money based on their standings in the Constructors’ table at the end of the campaign.

Journalist Mat Coch was speaking on the Pit Talk Podcast and has done the calculations on how much money McLaren could earn in prize money alone if they win their first title since 1998.

While Norris’s hopes of making it a double looked to have disappeared unless something extraordinary happens, McLaren may end the season with some well-earned silverware and extra cash.

How much money McLaren could earn in prize money if they win the 2024 Constructors’ Championship

Going through the scenario that could play out after the race in Abu Dhabi, Coch said: “Looking at this, on my projections, McLaren should it win the championship this year, it’s looking at more than $220m [£173.7m] in prize money next year by my rough maths.

“Obviously, that depends on Formula 1’s earnings but $226m-ish [£178.4m] in prize money, that’s more than the cost cap.

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“The top seven teams should actually have the cost cap paid to them in prize money.

“But, even still, you want as much money as you can because there are other things you can use that on.

“Hospitality, marketing, all those sorts of things.”

What do McLaren need to do to win the Constructors’ Championship this season?

With three Grand Prix and a Sprint Race in Qatar remaining this year, a team could score a maximum of 147 points.

That would involve securing one-two finishes in every race and achieving all four fastest laps.

This means theoretically, McLaren still need to earn 112 points as in the unlikely event that Ferrari win each of the last three Grand Prix, they would win the championship on countback due to race victories.

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That’s a tall order considering how close the top three manufacturers are and Mercedes can’t be discounted from the conversation despite how inconsistent they are.

Las Vegas is expected to be one of the coldest races in the sport’s history and that will give teams another strategic conundrum to solve.

McLaren’s papaya orders which have caused so much confusion this year will no longer be in play if and when Verstappen wins the championship.

That simplification may be just what McLaren need to get the title over the line.