Formula 1 News: Norris and Piastri disqualified from Las Vegas GP

In a dramatic twist to the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been stripped of their strong finishes after both cars were found to breach technical regulations during post-race inspections.

Related Article: Formula 1 News: Verstappen outduels Norris to win Las Vegas GP

The disqualifications, announced by the stewards late on Saturday, came after technical delegates measured the rearmost skid blocks on the McLaren MCL39 cars and discovered they fell short of the mandatory 9mm minimum thickness required under Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Technical Regulations.

Norris, who had crossed the line in second place after starting from pole, and Piastri, who finished fourth (initially fifth before a penalty promoted him), were both removed from the official results. This reshuffles the podium, with George Russell elevated to second and Charles Leclerc moving up to third behind race winner Max Verstappen.

The penalty delivers a major boost to Verstappen’s 2025 Drivers’ Championship bid. The Red Bull driver, who won the race, is now tied with Piastri on 366 points, just 24 behind leader Norris on 390. With only two rounds left—Qatar and Abu Dhabi—plus a Sprint in Lusail, 58 points remain up for grabs in the tight title fight.

Stewards’ Verdict and McLaren’s Defense

The stewards’ report detailed the findings: “The rear skids were re-measured in the presence of the Stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and those measurements confirmed that the skids did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those measured originally by the Technical Delegate.”

McLaren contested the breach, citing “mitigating circumstances” including unexpected porpoising on the Las Vegas Strip circuit, limited testing opportunities due to wet weather on Friday, and abbreviated practice sessions. However, the stewards rejected the appeal, though they acknowledged the FIA’s assessment that the infraction was unintentional and not an attempt to deliberately game the rules.

This isn’t the first skid block controversy of the 2025 season. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese GP, and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg suffered the same fate in Bahrain, highlighting ongoing scrutiny over plank wear amid evolving track surfaces and car setups.

A Chaotic Race on the Strip

The 50-lap showdown on the neon-lit streets of Las Vegas was already a rollercoaster for McLaren. Norris seized pole but made a bold move on Verstappen off the line, only to run wide at Turn 1 and drop to third. He clawed his way back to second, but a late-race team instruction to lift and coast—amid concerns over fuel consumption—saw him plummet down the order in the closing stages.

Speaking to the media before the disqualifications were revealed, a frustrated Norris said: “I don’t know what the issues were. The team just told me there were some problems and they were telling me to back off. So that’s something I’ll go and speak to them about in a bit.”

Piastri’s afternoon was equally turbulent. He tumbled to seventh after clashing with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson at the first corner, then fought back to fifth on track—later sixth after Kimi Antonelli’s five-second penalty for a false start. “I think first lap was eventful to say the least and then a couple of mistakes after that which didn’t help,” Piastri reflected. “The team did a really good job in getting our race back on track with strategy, so that was probably the highlight of the race. Got stuck behind Kimi, got close on one lap and I lost all grip when I tried to get alongside and I couldn’t get close enough again. That made life pretty tough but a bit of a feeling of more on the table.”

As McLaren digests the blow, the team now turns its focus to Qatar, where redemption—and those crucial championship points—await on the high-speed Lusail circuit.

Original Race Report: Formula 1 News: Verstappen outduels Norris to win Las Vegas GP

McLaren Statement from Andrea Stella

“Following the Las Vegas Grand Prix, we were found in breach of Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations, which requires a minimum of 9mm skid thickness. Car 4 was found in breach by a maximum of 0.12mm of the rearmost skid and Car 81 by a maximum of 0.26mm of the rearmost skid.

“During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground. We are investigating the reasons for this behavior of the car, including the effect of accidental damage sustained by both cars, which we found after the race, and that led to an increase of movement of the floor.

“As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional; there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed.

“We apologize to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points today, at a critical time in their championship campaigns after two strong performances from them all weekend. As a team, we also apologize to our partners and fans, whose support means so much.

“While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season.”

Revised 2025 Las Vegas GP Results: 50 Laps