Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, putting himself firmly back into the Formula One title race after McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were unexpectedly disqualified.
Norris, who started on pole and finished second, and Piastri, who originally placed fourth, were removed from the results hours after the race due to excessive skid-plank wear. Their disqualification came long after the podium celebrations had taken place.
The updated standings leave Norris 24 points ahead of four-time world champion Verstappen and tied with Piastri, with only two races remaining — Qatar and Abu Dhabi — and 58 points still available.
Stewards excluded the McLaren pair following the FIA’s post-race inspection, which found their plank assemblies had worn below the legal minimum. The FIA emphasized that it believed the violation was accidental and not an intentional attempt to break the rules.
“It’s frustrating to lose so many points,” Norris said in a team statement. “As a team, we always push to extract as much performance as possible, and today we simply didn’t get the balance right. There’s nothing I can change now — full focus shifts to Qatar, where we’ll look to deliver the best possible performance.”
George Russell, last year’s winner of the night race and also marking his 150th start like Norris, moved up to second place. His teammate Kimi Antonelli climbed into third after starting 17th, a standout result for the Italian rookie.
A Bit of Luck Needed
Antonelli had initially finished fourth but fell to fifth after receiving a five-second penalty for a jumped start.
Norris, who crossed the line 20.741 seconds behind Verstappen before being ruled out, could still secure the championship next weekend in Qatar. Still, Verstappen is now close enough to pose a serious threat as he chases a fifth consecutive title.
“It depends on how our car performs in Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” Verstappen said before the disqualification was announced. “Abu Dhabi is usually a strong track for McLaren, but we’ll see. The gap isn’t easy to overturn — we’ll need some luck — but we can still win races and we’ll keep trying.”
McLaren has already clinched the constructors’ championship for the second straight season.
The Las Vegas win marked Verstappen’s 69th career victory, his sixth of the season, and his 125th career podium. It was also his eighth consecutive podium in what was the 150th Grand Prix of Red Bull’s collaboration with Honda.
Pink LEGO Cadillac Podium Ride
Norris lost the lead at the start after running wide in the opening corner, allowing Verstappen and Russell to slip through. He reclaimed second place from Russell on lap 34 of 50 but had to conserve fuel in the closing stages.
“I let Max have the win,” he joked as he arrived at the podium in a LEGO-themed pink Cadillac driven by actor Terry Crews, with fireworks lighting up the Las Vegas Strip.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc moved up to fourth after classification changes, with Williams’ Carlos Sainz taking fifth. Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar finished sixth, while Nico Hulkenberg and Lewis Hamilton ended seventh and eighth. Haas teammates Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman completed the top ten.
Piastri dropped from fifth to seventh on the opening lap after contact with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, who fell to last with significant damage.
Verstappen held a commanding 20-second lead by lap 23 and pitted at the halfway mark, comfortably rejoining in front after Russell and Norris had already switched to hard tyres.
Early drama struck when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was eliminated by Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, who ran out of space after an aggressive dive into the first corner. Both retired, and Bortoleto received a five-place grid penalty for Qatar.
A virtual safety car was triggered twice due to debris: first after Alpine’s Pierre Gasly spun, and later after a collision between Williams’ Alex Albon and Lewis Hamilton. Albon, who lost radio communication from the start, received a five-second penalty for causing the crash and was also reprimanded for a starting procedure violation.