Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix due to a technical violation. The McLaren team’s cars failed post-race technical inspections following the night race in Las Vegas, prompting officials to call Norris and Piastri for further review.
Upon examination, FIA scrutineers found that the planks beneath the McLaren cars were thinner than the required 9mm minimum at the end of the race. This indicated that the cars were operating with an illegally low ride height, leading to the disqualification of both drivers from the final race classification.
The disqualification significantly impacts the drivers’ championship race, with Max Verstappen claiming victory in the Las Vegas race. As a result of Norris and Piastri losing their results, Verstappen is now tied on points with Piastri and trails championship leader Norris by 24 points with two races remaining.
Following the race, both McLaren drivers were summoned for a hearing that commenced at 7:45 am UK time and lasted for over an hour. The final decision confirming their disqualification was announced around 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 being overtaken by Verstappen at the first corner. Although he tried to defend aggressively against the Red Bull driver, he ultimately lost positions to both Verstappen and George Russell, finishing in third place.
Before being informed of his disqualification, Norris expressed disappointment in his performance, admitting fault for braking too late at turn one. Acknowledging the superior speed of the Red Bull team, Norris remarked on the need for improvement and expressed anticipation for the upcoming races in Qatar.
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