Championship leader Lando Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix after their respective cars failed post-race technical checks.
Norris finished second behind race winner Max Verstappen and Piastri fourth, but the result did not count due to excessive wear on the skid block, completely changing the composition of the title race with two rounds remaining.
This means Norris has a 24-point lead over Piastri and Verstappen heading into this week’s final event in Qatar and the season finale in Abu Dhabi from December 5-7. Both races will be broadcast on Sky Sports F1.
“It’s frustrating to lose so many points. As a team, we always try to find the best possible performance and today we obviously didn’t have that balance,” Norris said.
Piastri added: “We now need to reset, refocus and push to get the best points possible in the last two rounds, both courses that we have been good at in the past.”
Verstappen has been given a huge boost towards a record-equalling fifth world title, with up to 58 points up for grabs as the Sprint takes place in Qatar this Saturday.
Norris was running comfortably in second place until he was told to slow down in the final stages, losing eight seconds to George Russell over the final two laps.
At the time, it wasn’t clear why the team gave him such instructions.
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Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix after both McLaren drivers failed post-race inspection.
Stewards revealed that two of Norris’ measurements were below the 9mm skid block limit. The front right skid block was 8.88 meters, and the right rear was 8.93 mm.
Piastri took three incorrect measurements: 8.96mm for the left front, 8.74mm for the right front, and 8.90mm for the right rear.
McLaren claimed that there may have been “potential accidental damage” where the floor moved and caused wear, but the stewards did not think this was enough to alleviate the disqualification.
Lando Norris leads Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen by 24 points in the drivers’ championship
They added: “The rear skid was re-measured in the presence of the stewards and three McLaren representatives and these measurements confirmed that the skid did not comply with the regulations.”
“The relevant measurements were even lower than the measurements originally taken by the Technical Delegate. The Stewards therefore consider that a breach of the technical regulations has occurred.”
“Stewards then heard submissions regarding the penalty. The team argued that there were mitigating circumstances, including an additional unexpected porpoise outbreak at this event, limited testing opportunities due to weather conditions on the first day, and a shortened practice session.”
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Las Vegas Grand Prix Highlights
“Furthermore, the team submitted that the severity of the violation was lower than previous violations of this regulation in 2025. The FIA submitted that, unfortunately, there was no provision in the regulations or precedent for penalties other than normal penalties (i.e. disqualification).”
“The FIA noted that it is of the strong view that the breach was unintentional and that there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations.”
The FIA also revealed that the original top 10 drivers were checked for skid and plank wear, but this is not always the case.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Williams’ Carlos Sainz rounded out the top five, followed by Racing Bull’s Izak Hajjar in sixth and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg in seventh.
Lewis Hamilton, who said 2025 was the “worst season ever”, finished eighth, while the two Haas drivers, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, finished ninth and 10th in points.
Did a miscalculation cause McLaren’s disqualification?
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella said:
“During the race, both cars experienced an unexpectedly high level of porpoise behavior that was not seen during the practice session, leading to excessive contact with the ground. We are currently investigating the causes of this behavior, including the effects of accidental damage to both cars that was discovered after the race, which led to increased floor movement.”
“As the FIA pointed out, the violation was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations and there were mitigating circumstances.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both aiming for first world titles
Nigel Chiu of Sky Sports:
“Lando Norris told the media on Saturday that McLaren was ‘porpoising’, or jumping over the steps in Las Vegas.
“Friday’s disruption due to two red flags in the second practice meant we weren’t able to run as high on fuel as the team had hoped, allowing us to test how fuel-efficient we could run the car without putting too much wear on the bottom of the car. The closer the car is to the ground, the more downforce it has and the faster it can go.”
“Sunday’s race was a very fast race, with only two Virtual Safety Car interruptions, but there was also less tire graining than expected, so the drivers were able to push.
“Theoretically, the harder you push, the more the skid blocks at the bottom of the car wear out. McLaren may have simply miscalculated. Talk about fine margins and small measurements having a big impact.”
F1’s season-ending triple header continues this week with the Qatar GP Sprint weekend being broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
