By Alex Rhodes

McLaren’s double disqualification at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, has allowed Max Verstappen to move within 24 points of the championship lead.

The cars of McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were found to have breached technical regulations regarding excessive wear on the skid blocks, meaning the cars could have been running lower to the ground than permitted.

In 2023 Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc suffered similar fates at the United States Grand Prix, where both were disqualified for the same infringement.

As a result of the penalties, Verstappen moves into joint second in the championship, alongside Piastri, 24 points behind leader Norris with two races remaining and 58 points still available.

Norris’ disqualification promoted the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to second and third after the race, strengthening Mercedes’ challenge for second in the Constructors’ Championship.

Following the decision, Norris said: “It’s frustrating to lose so many points.

“As a team, we’re always pushing to find as much performance as we can, and we clearly didn’t get that balance right today.

“Nothing I can do will change that now. Full focus switches to Qatar, where we aim to deliver the best possible performance in every session.”

Had the original result stood Brit Norris would have been on the brink of securing his maiden Formula One title in Qatar, holding a 42-point advantage over the fast-charging four-time world champion.

His task in Qatar remains straightforward: outscore both Piastri and Verstappen by two points, and he secures the championship.

It was a chaotic start for McLaren.

Norris made a bold move across Verstappen into turn one, misjudging his braking point and running deep.

This allowed Verstappen and the Mercedes of Russell through, with Piastri forced wide after contact with Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls car.

Verstappen said: “In the race I think everyone was just trying to find a rhythm and see how much you could push, especially in the first stint on the more fragile medium tyre. 

“It worked really well. Normally the race is tough for us, but today we had things more under control and I could push a bit more, which unlocked more pace.”

The Dutchman established early authority, building a gap after rebuffing an initial challenge from Russell, who pitted early for hard tyres.

Russell was unable to gain ground and later fell into the clutches of Norris on fresher tyres, with Norris sweeping past on lap 34 for second place.

From there, Norris could not catch Verstappen despite his efforts, and in the closing laps he was forced to manage a fuel issue, narrowly holding off Russell at the line.

Behind them, Antonelli delivered an outstanding drive to fourth, later third, after starting seventeenth.

An early stop for hard tyres proved decisive, allowing the young Italian to hold off both Piastri and Leclerc in the latter stages despite their fresher rubber.

“It was a shame we started so far back, as without that we would definitely have been in the hunt at the front,” said Antonelli. 

“That said, we should be pleased with our performance today and that we were able to add good points for the team after a difficult qualifying.”

Ferrari’s Leclerc moved up to fourth after the McLaren disqualifications, with Carlos Sainz finishing fifth.

His Williams lacked the pace in the dry compared to his impressive form in the wet, but the result continues his strong second half of the season.

Isack Hadjar secured sixth, ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg and Hamilton, who endured another disappointing weekend for Ferrari, qualifying last and again lacking the speed of his younger teammate.

“I feel terrible, terrible,” Hamilton said.

“It’s been the worst season ever. No matter how much I try, it just keeps getting worse. 

“I’m trying everything.”

Rounding out the top 10, Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman both scored, continuing the team’s upward trajectory since the United States Grand Prix, particularly in the hands of Bearman.

Formula One now heads to the Middle East for the Qatar Grand Prix in less than a week’s time, where Lando Norris will look to seal his maiden championship before the season finale in Abu Dhabi from 5–7 December.

Race Results

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:21:08.429

2. George Russell (Mercedes) +23.546s

3. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +30.488s

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +30.678s

5. Carlos Sainz Jr (Williams) +34.924s

6. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +45.257s

7. Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber) +51.134s

8. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +59.369s

9. Esteban Ocon (Haas) +60.635s

10. Oliver Bearman (Haas) +70.549s

11. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +85.308s

12. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +86.974s

13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +91.702s

14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1 lap

15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1 lap

16. Alexander Albon (Williams) DNF

17. Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) DNF

18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) DNF

19. Lando Norris (McLaren) DSQ

20. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) DSQ