Verstappen Dominant in Las Vegas: McLaren Suffers DQ, Norris Loses Podium

Verstappen Wins in Las Vegas, but Controversy Shakes the Podium

Max Verstappen conquered his second victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, surpassing Lando Norris, championship leader, and keeping his title aspirations alive. Norris secured second place in the race, but a dramatic turn of events led to his disqualification along with his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, due to illegal wear on the underfloor of the car. The decision came five hours after the end of the race, generating tension at McLaren. Verstappen equals Piastri in points, while Norris’s lead is reduced to 24 points. With two major prizes remaining, including a sprint race at next week’s Qatar Grand Prix, there is a maximum of 58 points available.

Verstappen won the Las Vegas race by almost 21 seconds, with Norris experiencing problems in his car in the final laps. Norris prevented George Russell of Mercedes from taking second place, but the resulting disqualification elevated both Mercedes drivers to the podium. Piastri finished in a distant fourth place, extending his streak without surpassing his teammate Norris, which dates back to his victory at the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August. Verstappen, after the summer break, has resurfaced in the contest with what will be remembered as one of the great comebacks of the F1 season finale. He has won four of the seven races since the break. The Dutch driver took control of Saturday night’s event on the first lap of the race. Norris, starting from pole position, moved aggressively to defend against the Red Bull driver, but went off track at Turn 1. This allowed Verstappen to overtake Norris at the next corner and Russell to move up to second place. Despite a brief period in which Russell was within DRS range of Verstappen, his lead never seemed to be in danger. McLaren was confident of catching Verstappen in the final laps, but a late problem in the car caused Norris to fall back drastically, although not enough for Russell to catch him. Piastri, who started fifth, could have been better positioned if he had had a better start; the Australian was lucky to avoid a race-ending when he was hit by Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls at Turn 1. At one point, Piastri was running seventh, but a strategically timed pit stop and a five-second penalty for a jump start for the Mercedes rookie, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, allowed Piastri to move up to fourth position at the end of the race, before his disqualification. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished sixth (now fourth) behind Antonelli. And although Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari climbed from the back of the grid to tenth place (now eighth), it was another bitter weekend for the Scuderia in what many predicted would be their last chance to get a grand prix victory in 2025. Carlos Sainz from Williams finished seventh (now fifth), ahead of Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, and Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg.