Scandal in Las Vegas: McLaren Disqualified and the Fight for the Championship Intensifies
An unexpected turn shakes the Las Vegas Grand Prix. McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have been disqualified from the race for illegal wear on their car’s planks. This decision has reignited the competition for the title, putting Max Verstappen back in the fight.
The Formula 1 regulations stipulate that the thickness of the planks located under the cars must be at least 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 resulted in their disqualification.
This unexpected change in the battle for the 2025 championship means that Verstappen, who had secured the victory in the race, now ties in points with Piastri, both with 366. Norris leads with a 24-point advantage over Verstappen, with two races remaining until the end of the season.
The result leaves Lando Norris leading the championship by 24 points, while Max Verstappen is now tied with Oscar Piastri.The situation became evident 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 issues. Norris’s gap to Verstappen decreased from five seconds to approximately 21, but he managed to hold second position ahead of George Russell.
Piastri finished in fourth place, one position ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who, after receiving a five-second penalty, dropped to fifth position.
Initially, Verstappen’s victory kept him in the running, 42 points behind. Now, he has become a real contender for the first time this year.
The last two races will be held 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.Oscar Piastri finished fourth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, his best position in the three editions of the race, before being disqualified.The measurement of the thickness of the planks of the F1 cars is carried out 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. In Piastri’s case, 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 compliance margin was minimal, the thickness of a hair, ranging between 0.04 and 0.12 millimeters.
The official statement noted: “The rear skates were measured again in the presence of the stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and the measurements confirmed that they did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those originally taken by the Technical Delegate.”
“Consequently, the stewards determined that a breach of the Technical Regulations had occurred. The stewards heard arguments regarding the penalty.”
The McLaren team argued that there were mitigating circumstances, such as unexpected and additional ‘porpoising’, the lack of testing opportunities due to weather, and shortened practice sessions. Furthermore, the team suggested that the degree of non-compliance was less than in previous violations of this regulation in 2025.
The FIA argued that, unfortunately, there was no provision in the regulations or precedents for a sanction other than the usual one (i.e., disqualification). The FIA emphasized that it firmly maintained the opinion that the infringement was unintentional and that there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations.
The stewards also took into account the various decisions of the FIA International Court of Appeal, which limit the possibility of avoiding disqualification for technical infringements. Despite the team’s claim about possible accidental damage that may have caused movement in the floor and, therefore, additional wear, the stewards did not consider this sufficient to mitigate the penalty. The stewards determined that Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations had been breached and, therefore, the standard disqualification penalty for such infringement should be applied.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella addressed this 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 led to 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 so much.”
“Although 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 it 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 the maximum possible performance, and it is clear that today we did not achieve the right balance. Nothing I can do will change that now, instead, the focus is entirely on Qatar, where we will try to go out and deliver the best possible performance in each 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 readjust, refocus, and strive 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 end with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 7th.
