Lando Norris's Formula One world championship ambitions have suffered a devastating setback after he was dramatically disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Technical Breach Costs McLaren Dearly
The British driver and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri were both stripped of their impressive results after post-race inspections revealed their cars breached technical regulations. The rearmost skid blocks underneath both McLarens measured less than the mandatory 9mm minimum thickness, leading to immediate disqualification.
Norris had originally finished second behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen in Saturday night's race, a result that would have extended his championship lead to 42 points with just 58 available across the final two races. Instead, he now heads to the penultimate round in Qatar with his advantage slashed to just 24 points.
Championship Landscape Transformed Overnight
The stunning verdict from race stewards arrived at approximately 02:00 local time - more than four hours after the chequered flag fell on the Las Vegas Strip. The decision completely transforms the championship battle with only two races remaining.
Piastri, who had finished fourth, also loses his valuable points, falling from 30 to 24 points behind his teammate in the standings. The promotion of George Russell to second place and Kimi Antonelli to third provides Mercedes with a significant points haul.
Reacting to the devastating blow, Norris said in an official team statement: "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."
Team Principal Apologises as Focus Shifts to Qatar
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella offered a heartfelt apology to both drivers, acknowledging the critical timing of the setback. "We apologise to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points today, at a critical time in their championship campaigns after two strong performances from them all weekend," Stella stated.
The FIA confirmed that while they strongly believed the breach was unintentional and there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent regulations, disqualification remained the mandatory penalty. Specific measurements showed Norris's car had skid block thicknesses of 8.88mm and 8.93mm, both below the required 9mm minimum.
Norris had started the race from pole position but lost ground early after braking too late at the first corner. He eventually fought back to secure what appeared to be a crucial second-place finish before the technical infringement emerged.
The championship now moves to Qatar next weekend, which includes a sprint race, before concluding in Abu Dhabi on December 7. Verstappen, who led every lap in Las Vegas, has dramatically closed a gap that stood at 104 points following August's Dutch Grand Prix.
