McLaren: Norris and Piastri, disqualified in Las Vegas; Verstappen revives F1 title

Scandal in Las Vegas: McLaren Disqualified and Verstappen in the Fight for the Title

An unexpected turn shakes the Las Vegas Grand Prix. McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have been disqualified due to illegal wear on their car’s planks. This incident propels Max Verstappen back into the fight for the drivers’ championship. 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 discovered that the two McLaren cars did not comply with this regulation. After being summoned before the commissioners, McLaren was found guilty of violating the regulations, which led to disqualification. This surprising change in the 2025 title battle means that Verstappen, who had secured the victory, now ties in points with Piastri, both with 366. Norris leads with a 24-point advantage, with two races remaining.

The warning signs lit up at the end of Saturday’s race, when Norris was told to reduce his pace in the final laps, although it was initially believed to be due to fuel problems. His gap to Verstappen was reduced from five seconds to about 21, but he managed to hold on to second position ahead of George Russell. Piastri finally finished fourth, one position ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, whose five-second penalty relegated him to fifth place after crossing the finish line. Initially, Verstappen’s victory kept him in the fight, 42 points away, but now he has become a real contender for the first time this year. There are two races left in the next two weeks, starting with the Qatar Grand Prix, which will include a sprint race on November 29, followed by the grand prix on November 30. While Verstappen seeks his fifth consecutive title, Norris and Piastri fight to get the first one. Verstappen has won four of the eight races since the F1 season resumed.

The measurement of the thickness of the F1 car planks is done at four points. Although the stewards issued identical statements for both cars, the FIA determined that Norris’s front right side measured 8.88 mm and the rear right, 8.93 mm. As for Piastri, the front left side measured 8.96 mm, the front right, 8.74 mm and the rear right, 8.90 mm. In simple terms, McLaren’s infringement margin was a fraction of a millimeter. The official statement indicated: “The rear skates were measured again in the presence of the stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and those measurements confirmed that the skates did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those originally measured by the Technical Delegate.” “Consequently, the stewards determine that a breach of the technical regulations has occurred. The stewards then heard arguments regarding the penalty.” “The team argued that there were mitigating circumstances, such as the unexpected porpoising in this event, the limited opportunity to test due to the weather, and the shortened practice sessions. Furthermore, the team presented that the degree of the infraction was less than in previous infractions of this regulation in 2025.” “The FIA argued that, unfortunately, there was no provision in the regulations or precedents for any penalty other than the usual one (i.e., disqualification). The FIA noted that it firmly maintained the view that the infringement was unintentional and that there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations.” “The stewards also noted the various decisions of the FIA International Court of Appeal that limit the ability to avoid disqualification for technical infringements. Despite the team’s presentation that there was potentially accidental damage that may have caused the floor to move, which could have caused additional wear, the stewards do not consider this sufficient to mitigate the penalty. The stewards determine that Article 3.5.9 of the Formula One FIA Technical Regulations has been breached and, therefore, the standard penalty of disqualification for such an infringement must be applied.” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella commented on the disastrous result in a statement: “During the race, both cars experienced unexpected and high levels of porpoising, not seen in the practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground. We are investigating the reasons for this car behavior, including the effect of accidental damage suffered by both cars, which we found after the race and which caused an increase in ground movement.” Added: “We apologize to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points today, at a critical moment in their championship campaigns after two strong performances throughout the weekend. As a team, we also apologize to our partners and fans, whose support means a lot.” “While this result is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season.” Meanwhile, Norris stated that it was a “frustrating end” to the day. “We had to manage some things towards the end of the race and now we know that was due to some issues on our car, which unfortunately resulted in our disqualification. It’s frustrating to lose so many points. As a team, we are always striving to find as much performance as we can, and it’s clear that we didn’t achieve that balance today. There’s nothing I can do to change that now, instead, the focus is entirely on Qatar, where we will try to go out and deliver the best possible performance in every session.” Piastri expressed similar disappointment, adding: “With how tight the grid is, we are always looking for where we can gain performance, and this time we didn’t achieve it. Now we need to reset, refocus and push to get the best possible points in the last two rounds, on both tracks where we have been strong before.” There are 33 points at stake in the Qatar Grand Prix, which means that Piastri and Verstappen could leave the penultimate round leading the championship. The F1 season will conclude with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 7th.