Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri DISQUALIFIED from Las Vegas GP, Boosting Verstappen's Title Chances!
Published on November 23, 2025 at 09:47 AM
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LANDO NORRIS and Oscar Piastri saw their Formula One title hopes suffer flat tyres as they were both DISQUALIFIED from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
, while Piastri finished in fourth.
Lando Norris was disqualified from the Las Vegas GP due to a rear skid plank thickness issueCredit: Getty
Oscar Piastri was also disqualified from the race for the same reason to also dent his championship hopesCredit: Getty
However, both McLarens – who have led the championship for the majority of the season – were summoned to the stewards over an alleged breach of regulations over rear skid plank thickness.
A standard post-race inspection found irregularities in the rearmost plank thickness, which must be at least 9mm for safety reasons.
And following a meeting with the stewards, the two Papaya drivers were hit with the devastating news that they had both been disqualified from the race classifications.
Near-identical statements were released by the FIA confirming stewards had heard from the Team Principal, Team Sporting Director and Technical
Director of McLaren Formula 1 Team, the FIA Single Seater Director, the FIA Single Seater Technical Director and the FIA Technical Delegate.
In Norris’ case, the statement said: “The rear skids of Car 4 were measured and found to be below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations. The relevant measurements were RHS Front 8.88mm, RHS Rear 8.93mm.”
Piastri’s document said: “The rear skids of Car 81 were measured and found to be below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations. The relevant measurements were RHS Front 8.88mm, RHS Rear 8.93mm.”
Both were measured using a Mitutoyo Micrometre device purchased in May 2025, and according to the manufacturer’s specifications, accurate to within 0.001mm.
McLaren argued that additional unexpected porposing, limited testing due to weather and shorter practice sessions, as well as the less degree of the offence compared to prior breaches counted as mitigating circumstances.
However, the FIA ruled there was no such provision in the regulations or precedent to allow the breach to go unpunished, which then confirmed the disqualification of the pair.
That also saw both drivers’ points from the race stripped away – an identical incident to what happened to earlier this season.
When Hamilton suffered the disqualification in Shanghai it took the FIA just 28 minutes after their original summons to reveal their ruling. By contrast, today’s ruling took two hours before it was revealed publicly.
It means , who did have a 30-point lead in the driver standings following the original race classification, has seen that lead cut back down to 24 points.
Piastri made no inroads on him due to his own ban, but is now level-pegging with four-time world champion Verstappen on 366 points.
The flying Dutchman’s red hot form, in contrast to Piastri’s dropping off a cliff, make Verstappen the most credible threat to usurping Norris’ lead in the standings.
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With Vegas out the way there are now just two races left of the season, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
In 2021 Verstappen won the World Drivers’ Championship over Lewis Hamilton in the most dramatic of circumstances.
And while the infamous race of four years ago will almost certainly never be topped in terms of drama and spectacle, the Vegas disqualification has certainly shaken the board.
Verstappen is hoping to become only the second-driver in history after to win five championships in a row, and would be the first to manage the feat under the age of 30.
Norris would become the 11th British driver to win the F1 championship – the last new UK champ being – while Oscar Piastri is aiming to be only the third Australian after Jack Brabham and Alan Jones to lift the title.
The disqualification today also moves Mercedes duo and Kimi Antonelli up to second and third for a double Silver Arrows podium.
It also sees Leclerc move up to fourth and team-mate Hamilton up to eighth.
Esteban Ocon and inherit the places in the points passed down by the decision to score double points for Haas, which moves them above Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship.
Sparks were picked up from the skid plank as it hit the floorCredit: Getty
It is a huge boost to Max Verstappen’s title hopesCredit: AFP
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