Explained: Why Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified from the F1 Las Vegas GP

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix due to a rear skid wear infringement. The top two drivers in the drivers' championship have now lost their race results in a development with major implications for the title fight.

McLaren came out of the Las Vegas GP with a relatively positive result, with Lando Norris finishing second and Oscar Piastri fourth. This also left the former with a 30-point lead in the championship over his teammate.

But the Papaya team has now lost this result after FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reported both cars to the stewards, as the rearmost skid on each was found to be under the minimum permitted thickness of 9 mm.

After reviewing this and speaking to the team representatives, the stewards have made the decision to disqualify both Norris and Piastri from the Las Vegas Grand Prix in a breach of Article 3.5.9 e) of the F1 Technical Regulations.

The relevant measurements, according to the report for both cars, were RHS Front 8.88mm, RHS Rear 8.93mm.

This decision has huge implications on the 2025 drivers' championship as Max Verstappen is now just 24 points behind Lando Norris with two rounds to go. He has also equalled Oscar Piastri on points after having gone over 100 points behind the Aussie after the Dutch GP earlier this year.

With a sprint race yet to come in Qatar, there are 58 points still up for grabs this year, making the championship race a lot closer than anyone expected going into the final leg of the season.

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What Max Verstappen said about title fight with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after the Las Vegas GP

Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the Italian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Max Verstappen explained that he is simply trying to maximize every result at the moment and not actually thinking about the implications they have in his battle with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the championship. This was before he knew he would be under a race win behind the championship leader.

Speaking in the post-race interview after the Las Vegas GP, Verstappen explained the approach he was taking towards the title race in the last few races of the season.

"I mean, it's still a big gap. But, you know, we always try to just maximise everything that we've got. And this weekend, that was first. And yeah, the upcoming weekends we'll again try to win the race. And at the end of Abu Dhabi, we'll see where we end up," said Verstappen.

In the post-race press conference, Verstappen also mentioned that he is simply focused on trying to enjoy his time and win races if possible. In that sense, the task at hand for the Dutchman has not changed in the final two races of the year, but he can be more hopeful of his chances than before.

While he has already matched Piastri's points tally, Norris would still win the championship even if he finishes second to Verstappen in the three remaining races, including the sprint in Qatar.

Edited by Mitali