Red Bull McLaren Constructors Tie: 355 Points for Third

The Red Bull McLaren constructors fight for third is a dead heat: both teams are on 355 points after the United States Grand Prix, with Red Bull listed third on countback. Before Austin on 25 October 2026, McLaren led by seven. Red Bull outscored them 23 to 16 on Sunday and erased the gap. Five rounds remain, and third place now hangs on a countback.

How did the Red Bull McLaren constructors fight end level at 355?

Going into Austin, GridRaces data had McLaren on 339 and Red Bull on 332, sprint points included. Verstappen's third place was worth 15 points. Isack Hadjar added more for sixth, and under the standard scale that is eight. That makes 23 for Red Bull.

McLaren took 10 with Lando Norris in fifth and, on the same scale, six more with Oscar Piastri in seventh, so 16. The official tables at Formula1.com and Sky Sports both show 355 each.

Why is Red Bull listed ahead?

When teams tie, the championship goes to the better countback of Grand Prix results, starting with wins. In GridRaces data for rounds 1 to 17, both teams have two wins. Red Bull has four second places to McLaren's two, and Austin added a third place for Red Bull without changing either count. That is why Red Bull sit third on paper. It is a thin lead: one McLaren win, or one more second place, and the order can flip.

What went on at Austin?

The two teams built their Sundays in opposite ways. Verstappen lost places at the start and was reported by Red Bull's team principal to have hit debris around lap eight, according to Formula1.com's team-by-team reaction piece. He committed to a two-stop and was then passed by Leclerc for second. It was his sixth consecutive podium, which is the number that keeps Red Bull in this fight.

McLaren's day was quieter and less rewarding. Norris ran a one-stop and said afterwards that fifth was the "absolute maximum" available, so the gap was pace, not tactics.

What happens next?

Five rounds are left: Mexico City, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Red Bull's total leans on one car; Verstappen holds 236 points of the team's 355 by the latest tables. McLaren has Norris on 211 with Piastri behind him, a more balanced pair that scores more reliably when the lead car has a bad day.

The honest call: this is a points-per-Sunday race. McLaren's cars need to finish ahead of Red Bull's second car, not just Verstappen, to take third back. Hadjar's form is the quiet variable.

Keep an eye on the constructors' table, and see how pit-lane times and Telemetry shape these fights. Then make your Mexico City picks and call which team leaves the round in third.