Jay Burdine

With the return of the NFL and the MLB season preparing for the playoffs, American sports fans turn their attention inward, but what’s going on outside of the U.S.? Currently, one team led by one man dominates Formula 1 while the Rugby World Cup is in full swing.

Max Verstappen is the name to know when it comes to Formula 1 (F1). Verstappen and his Red Bull team are currently first in both championships, and it’s not even close. Verstappen currently has 400 points, while second and third place have 223 and 190 points, respectively. Red Bull as a team has 623, which is more than double the second-place team, Mercedes.

In F1, 25 points go to the winning driver, and 18 go to the second, with lower and lower values awarded to finishers down to 10th place. Additional points are attainable in “sprint rounds,” where 34 points are available over a weekend. An additional point is awarded for the fastest lap if the driver finishes in the top 10.

Through 16 races, Verstappen has averaged 25 points a race, or in other words, his average performance is a first-place finish. This, of course, is nothing new for Red Bull and Verstappen, who were on top last year as well. Last year, Verstappen finished 146 points ahead of second place, a bigger gap than the difference between second place and sixth place. The team overall dominated with a 205-point victory. While last year’s dominance from Red Bull was shocking, this year’s trajectory has them finishing even stronger.

Meanwhile, the Rugby World Cup started on Sept. 8 and is now about halfway through the group stages. The group standings are now starting to take shape. The Rugby World Cup comprises four groups with five teams each. Each team plays every other team in their group, and the two best in a group move on to the single elimination phase of the tournament.

In Group A, France remains undefeated, while the rugby giants of New Zealand are tied with Italy on one defeat. Group A is particularly tough as both New Zealand and France are ranked as the top five teams in the world. In Group B, number-one ranked Ireland remains first with South Africa close behind. In Group C, seventh-ranked Wales is two games ahead of second place, with a perfect record and a spot in the next round booked. Behind Wales is two-time champion Australia followed closely by Fiji.

However, Australia has played one additional game compared to the other four teams and seems to be in danger of an early exit. Finally, in Group D, number-six England has confirmed a spot in the next round with three wins in three games, while Argentina and Japan are close behind with just one loss a piece.

The international sports scene continues into the coming weeks as more games and matches are still to come. The Formula 1 season still has seven more races to go, with the next coming in Qatar on Oct. 8. The Rugby World Cup knockout phases are just around the corner and will begin on Oct. 14.