McLaren Drivers Disqualified from Las Vegas Grand Prix: Championship Implications Unfold
Both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a decision that significantly reshapes the championship standings. As a result, Max Verstappen now shares the same point total as Piastri and remains 24 points behind Norris in the title chase.
Norris initially crossed the line in second, with Piastri in fourth. Verstappen dominated the race, leading every lap after overtaking Norris at Turn 1. However, he experienced a decline in pace towards the end, attributed to an unspecified technical issue acknowledged by McLaren.
The disqualification stems from post-race technical inspections revealing that both McLaren cars exhibited excessive plank wear. The rear skids were below the regulatory minimum thickness of 9mm, measuring 0.12mm and 0.07mm under on Norris’ car, and up to 0.26mm under on Piastri’s.
Stewards noted, “The team argued that mitigating circumstances existed, including unexpected porpoising and limited testing opportunities due to adverse weather.” However, they affirmed that current regulations necessitated disqualification for such infringements, despite recognizing the unintentional nature of the breach.
As a consequence, George Russell ascends to second place, with Kimi Antonelli finishing third. Points were also awarded to Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hülkenberg, Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon, and Ollie Bearman, who completed the top ten.
This incident marks the third occurrence this season of disqualification due to excessive plank wear, following similar penalties for Hamilton in China and Hülkenberg in Bahrain.
