Verstappen Wins in Las Vegas, McLaren DQ: Drama in F1 and Title Fight

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 and keeping his title aspirations alive. Norris secured second place in the race, but a dramatic turn of events led to his disqualification by the stewards, along with his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, due to illegal wear on the car’s underfloor. The decision came five hours after the end of the race, increasing the pressure on McLaren’s drivers. Verstappen equals Piastri in points, while Norris’s lead is reduced to 24 points. There are still a maximum of 58 points at stake, with two major prizes remaining, including a sprint race at next week’s Qatar Grand Prix.

Verstappen won the Las Vegas race by almost 21 seconds, as Norris had problems with his car in the final laps. Norris’ disqualification allowed both Mercedes drivers to move up to the podium. Piastri finished in a distant fourth place, extending his streak without finishing ahead of 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 returned to the contest with what will be remembered as one of the great comebacks of the end of the season in F1. He has won four of the seven races since the recess. The Dutchman took control of the race on the first lap. Norris, who had started from pole position, moved aggressively to defend himself from the Red Bull driver, but went off track at the first corner. This allowed Verstappen to overtake Norris at the next corner and Russell to move into 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. Piastri, who started fifth, could have been better positioned had he had a better start; the Australian was lucky to avoid a race-ending incident when he was hit by Liam Lawson at Turn 1. At one point, Piastri was running seventh, but a well-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, Ferrari’s teammate, recovered from the back of the grid to tenth position (now eighth), it was another bitterly disappointing 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.