Lando Norris suffers blow to F1 title hopes after post-race drama in Las Vegas
By Philip Duncan, PA F1 Correspondent, Las Vegas
Lando Norris’ bid to win the world championship has taken an extraordinary setback after he was disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Norris had finished runner-up to Max Verstappen in Sin City to put him 42 points clear of the Dutchman in the title race with just 58 to play for.
But Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri were stripped of their respective second and fourth-placed finishes for running illegal cars after the rearmost skids underneath their McLarens were less than the 9mm minimum thickness required.
It means Norris will head to the penultimate round in Qatar – which includes a sprint race – next weekend guarding only a 24-point lead over Verstappen with the season finale to follow in Abu Dhabi on December 7. Piastri, who had been cast 30 points adrift at the chequered flag, is now also 24 points back.
The stunning verdict from the stewards arrived at close to 02:00 local time – more than four hours after the race finished.
George Russell moves up to second place, while his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who finished fifth, takes third.
A statement from the FIA read: “The rear skids of Car 4 (Norris) 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.
McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix
Read the Full Story here 👉 https://t.co/VBMu4zTGJX#F1 #LasVegasGP— Formula 1 (@F1) November 23, 2025
“The team argued that mitigating circumstances existed in that there was additional and unexpected porpoising at this event, limited opportunity to test due to the weather on day one, and shortened practice sessions. Further the team submitted that the degree of the breach was lower than prior breaches of this regulation in 2025.
“The FIA argued that unfortunately there was no provision in the regulations or in precedent for any penalty other than the usual penalty (i.e. disqualification). The FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the breach was unintentional and that there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations.
“Notwithstanding the submission by the team that there was potentially accidental damage that may have led to movement of the floor which could have caused additional wear, the stewards do not consider this sufficient to mitigate the penalty.”
Earlier this season, Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix after the rearmost skid on his Ferrari was less than the 9mm minimum thickness required.
