McLaren Disqualified in Las Vegas: Verstappen Revives in the F1 Title Fight

Scandal in Las Vegas: McLaren Disqualified and the Title Fight Ignites

An unexpected turn has shaken the Las Vegas Grand Prix. McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have been disqualified due to illegal wear of their single-seater planks. This situation has reignited the competition for the championship, putting Max Verstappen back in the fight. The Formula 1 regulations stipulate that the thickness of the planks located under the cars must not be less than 9 mm. However, after Saturday night’s race, it was detected that the two McLaren vehicles did not comply with this regulation. After being summoned, McLaren representatives confirmed the infraction, which resulted in disqualification. This unexpected event in the 2025 season has modified the championship standings. Verstappen, who had achieved victory in the race, is now tied with Piastri at 366 points, 24 points behind Norris, with two races remaining to conclude the season.

The result leaves Lando Norris leading the championship by 24 points, while Max Verstappen ties with Oscar Piastri.The situation became evident during the final laps of the race, when Norris was instructed to reduce his pace. Although it was initially thought to be due to fuel issues, the change in speed revealed the seriousness of the situation. The advantage of Norris over Verstappen decreased from five seconds to about 21. Despite this, Norris managed to maintain second position, ahead of George Russell. Piastri finished in fourth place, followed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who, after receiving a five-second penalty, dropped to fifth position.

Oscar Piastri finished fourth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, his best result in the three editions of the race, before being disqualified.The thickness of the planks is measured at four points. The results showed that the front right side of Norris’s car measured 8.88mm, and the rear right, 8.93mm. On Piastri’s car, the front left side measured 8.96mm, the front right 8.74mm and the rear right 8.90mm. This indicates that McLaren exceeded the limit by a minimal margin. The official statement indicated that the measurements confirmed that the planks did not comply with the regulations. The McLaren team argued that there were mitigating circumstances, such as unexpected “porpoising”, lack of testing due to weather, and shorter practice sessions. However, the FIA determined that disqualification was the mandatory sanction.

The FIA argued that unfortunately there was no provision in the regulations or precedents for any penalty other than the usual penalty (i.e., disqualification). The FIA noted that it firmly maintained the opinion that the infringement was not intentional and that there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations.

Official FIA statement

Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal, issued a statement expressing his regret for the result and explaining that the unexpected behavior of the cars would be investigated, including possible accidental damage that may have affected performance. Both Norris and Piastri expressed their disappointment, but affirmed their commitment to give their best in the remaining two races. With 33 points at stake in the Qatar Grand Prix, both Piastri and Verstappen could lead the championship in the penultimate race. The F1 season will conclude with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 7th.