Scandal in Las Vegas: Norris and Piastri, disqualified. Verstappen enters the fight for the F1 title.

Scandal in Las Vegas: McLaren Disqualified and the Championship Fight Intensifies

Las Vegas, Nevada – An unexpected turn shakes the Las Vegas Grand Prix. McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have been disqualified from the race due to illegal wear on the underfloor of their cars. This decision reignites the competition for the drivers’ title, placing Max Verstappen in an advantageous position. 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 the race, McLaren was summoned before the stewards, who determined that the team had violated the regulations, resulting in disqualification. This surprising change in the battle for the 2025 championship means that Verstappen, who had been overtaken by Norris in the race, now ties in points with Piastri, both with 366. Norris leads with a 24-point advantage, with two races remaining until the end of the season.

The result leaves Lando Norris leading the championship by 24 points, while Max Verstappen ties with Oscar Piastri.The situation became evident at the end of the race, when Norris was told to reduce his pace. Although it was initially thought to be due to fuel problems, the reality was different. Norris’s gap to Verstappen was reduced from five to 21 seconds, but he managed to hold onto second position ahead of George Russell. Piastri finished in fourth place, 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. Now, he has positioned himself as a real contender for the first time this year. There are two races remaining 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 three editions of the race, before being disqualified.The measurement of the thickness of the bottom plank 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 car, 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 margin of non-compliance was minimal, the thickness of a hair.

The statement said: “The rear skates were measured again in the presence of the commissioners 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 taken by the Technical Delegate.

FIA Statement

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella commented on this disastrous result: “During the race, both cars experienced unexpected and high levels of ‘porpoising’ (bouncing) that had not been 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.

He 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 from them throughout the weekend. As a team, we also apologize to our partners and fans, whose support means so much.

“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 it was due to some problems 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 possible, and we clearly 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 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 reset, refocus and strive for the best possible points in the final 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 7.