Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix due to a technical violation. Following the night race in Sin City, both McLaren cars failed post-race technical inspections, prompting officials to summon Norris and Piastri for a review.
FIA scrutineers identified that the planks below the McLaren cars were thinner than the required 9mm minimum thickness at the end of the race. This indicated that the cars were operating with an illegally low ride height, resulting in their disqualification from the final standings.
The disqualification has significant implications for the drivers’ championship race as Max Verstappen emerged victorious in the Las Vegas race. With Norris and Piastri losing their results, Verstappen is now tied on points with Piastri and sits 24 points behind championship leader Norris with two rounds remaining.
Both McLaren drivers faced a hearing with the stewards, which commenced at 7:45 am UK time and lasted over an hour. The final decision was announced close to 2 am local time, more than four hours after the Grand Prix concluded.
Despite starting on pole, Norris finished the race in second place after a fierce battle with Verstappen and George Russell. While he managed to regain positions lost to Mercedes, catching up to Verstappen proved challenging. The disqualification means Norris must now defend his position against both his McLaren teammate and Verstappen in the upcoming races.
Prior to learning of his disqualification, Norris expressed disappointment with his performance, acknowledging the team’s lack of pace compared to Red Bull. Looking ahead, he aims to regroup, relax, and focus on improving for the next race in Qatar.