Las Vegas Grand Prix: Verstappen’s Blow and McLaren Disqualification Shake Up Championship

Max Verstappen’s victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, coupled with the disqualifications of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, has significantly heightened his chances of securing a fifth drivers’ championship by the end of the F1 season.

In Saturday’s race, Verstappen began from second place, directly behind Norris, who had claimed pole position. As the race commenced, Norris made an aggressive move to the left, intending to challenge Verstappen on the inside. Unfortunately, he overshot his braking point and veered wide at Turn 1, which allowed Verstappen to seize the lead, followed by George Russell. As the laps progressed, Verstappen slowly distanced himself from the pack, while Norris fell back to third place.

During the race’s second stint, Norris managed to catch Russell and crossed the line in second, but Verstappen had to ease off due to a problem with his car that was noted by McLaren, who couldn’t close the gap. Piastri finished in fifth position, though Kimi Antonelli, who was ahead of him, received a five-second penalty, promoting Piastri to fourth.

But this was just the start of the unfolding drama.

The first hint of trouble emerged when the FIA race stewards delayed the final classification report. This, along with paddock rumors about issues with Norris’ MCL39, fueled speculation.

Eventually, the FIA confirmed that both McLarens had failed the post-race inspection, revealing excessive wear on their floor plates, which was subsequently referred to race officials. According to the technical report, the back skids of both cars were measured at less than 9 mm, below the required minimum thickness.

A hearing was conducted for Norris and Piastri, revealing that the floor planks on Norris’ MCL39 measured 8.88 mm at the front and 8.93 mm at the rear, while Piastri’s were 8.74 mm and 8.90 mm, respectively.

McLaren acknowledged the measurements during the hearing, arguing that “mitigating” factors contributed to the issue. They claimed that unusual porpoising, adverse weather on the first day, and limited practice time all played a role. Moreover, they noted that the severity of this violation was less than previous infractions in 2025.

Race officials stated they believed the violation was not intentional and did not imply any deliberate attempts to sidestep regulations. Still, they pointed out that the regulations offered no alternative penalties beyond standard disqualification for technical violations.

The penalty handed down was disqualification.

Following this decision, McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella apologized to both drivers.

Stella explained that both cars faced unexpected levels of porpoising that hadn’t appeared during practices, which resulted in excessive ground contact. She mentioned that they are investigating the causes of this behavior, which could include accidental damage found after the race.

“As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional, and there was no deliberate attempt to evade regulations,” Stella continued. “We genuinely apologize to Lando and Oscar for losing points at such a crucial moment in our championship effort after strong performances all weekend. We also want to express our apologies to our partners and fans for their continued support.”

The outcome has been disappointing, but they remain focused on the final two races of the season.

This isn’t the first time disqualification has occurred over excessive wear on car components. Drivers like Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton faced similar fates during the 2023 US Grand Prix.

Before the disqualifications, the standings in the drivers’ championship were as follows:

• Lando Norris: 408 points
• Oscar Piastri: 378 points (-30)
• Max Verstappen: 366 points (-42)

However, this situation drastically shifted. With the disqualification in place and as the series moves to Qatar for the penultimate race and the final F1 sprint of the season, the current standings now look like this:

• Lando Norris: 390 points
• Oscar Piastri: 366 points (-24)
• Max Verstappen: 366 points (-24)

Norris has a shot at the drivers’ championship next weekend if he can leave Qatar with at least a 26-point lead over both Piastri and Verstappen.

If not, this three-way contest will roll into Yas Marina for the final race of the season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.