The Las Vegas Grand Prix took an unexpected turn this weekend after both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified, dramatically reshaping the battle for the 2025 Formula One drivers’ championship. With only two races and one sprint left on the calendar, the ruling has injected new uncertainty into a title fight that had already been growing increasingly tense.

The double disqualification of the McLaren pair significantly alters the points landscape. Before the ruling, Norris held a comfortable lead over Max Verstappen and his teammate Piastri. Now, Verstappen and Piastri sit level in the standings, while Norris remains ahead by just 24 points. For Verstappen in particular, the decision represents nearly a twenty-point swing in his favor compared with the provisional race results—a shift that keeps his championship ambitions fully alive.

Under the revised classification for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen is now credited with the victory. George Russell moves into second place, and rising young talent Kimi Antonelli has been promoted to third, marking one of the most notable podium adjustments of the season.

Norris had spent much of the race locked into a chase against Verstappen, who had controlled the pace from the front. As the final laps approached, however, Norris’s speed began to fade. The gap between the two drivers widened rapidly, prompting questions about whether McLaren was managing an internal issue. At one point, Norris’s race engineer, Will Joseph, attempted to reassure him, noting over team radio that the fuel situation appeared stable and advising him to slightly adjust his driving.

Those radio messages fueled speculation about whether fuel management or another technical issue had compromised Norris’s late-race performance. Following the race, FIA officials conducted their routine inspection, and it was during this process that Jo Bauer, the FIA’s Formula One technical director, reported that the thickness of the rearmost skids on both McLaren cars fell below the regulatory minimum of 9 millimeters.

The plank measurements detailed in the stewards’ documents showed that Norris’s car registered 8.88 millimeters on the front right side and 8.93 millimeters on the rear right. Piastri’s car recorded 8.96 millimeters on the front left, 8.74 millimeters on the front right, and 8.90 millimeters on the rear right. These figures were confirmed in repeat measurements conducted in the presence of stewards and McLaren representatives. According to officials, the second round of measurements revealed even lower values than initially recorded.

McLaren argued that unusually severe porpoising during the race contributed to the excessive wear. Porpoising—an aerodynamic oscillation that causes the car to bounce on uneven or high-speed surfaces—can cause the car’s underside to hit the track repeatedly, increasing stress on the plank. Team representatives also pointed out that the degree of non-compliance in this case was less significant than in other breaches observed earlier in the 2025 season.

Despite these explanations, the FIA maintained that the regulations offer no flexibility regarding plank wear. They cited previous rulings by the FIA International Court of Appeal emphasizing that even unintentional or accidental violations of technical standards must result in the standard penalty.

In the stewards’ statement, officials acknowledged McLaren’s argument that accidental damage may have caused unexpected movement of the floor and additional wear. However, they concluded that the evidence was insufficient to justify leniency, and they imposed the customary penalty of disqualification for violating the technical requirements.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expressed disappointment but accepted the ruling. He emphasized that the violation was unintentional and that the team had gained no performance advantage deliberately. Stella apologized to both drivers, noting that the loss of points came at a pivotal moment in their championship campaigns. He also extended an apology to the team’s supporters and partners.

Lewis Hamilton faced the same penalty earlier in the season at the Chinese Grand Prix, underscoring that the FIA has been consistent in enforcing the plank wear regulation throughout the year.

The plank, made from a composite beechwood material known as Jabroc, plays a crucial role in Formula One vehicle safety. It prevents teams from running their cars too close to the ground—a setup that can boost aerodynamic performance by increasing downforce generated through ground effect. When a car runs lower, the airflow beneath the chassis accelerates more efficiently, creating a stronger suction effect and significantly improving cornering stability and speed. The plank wear rule ensures that this advantage remains within safe and regulated limits.

After every race, FIA officials conduct a detailed scrutineering process, checking key components for compliance with technical rules. The findings are compiled into an official report issued by the FIA’s technical delegate and shared with all teams and the media. These procedures form the backbone of the sport’s technical fairness, ensuring that performance gains stem from innovation rather than rule-breaking.

As the championship approaches its decisive final rounds, the Las Vegas disqualifications may prove to be one of the season’s most consequential moments. What seemed like a stable lead for Norris has now become a far more fragile advantage, and the intense pressure of a three-way title fight is likely to define the remaining races. Whether Norris can regroup, or whether Verstappen or Piastri can capitalize on this dramatic shift, the closing stages of the 2025 Formula One season now promise even greater unpredictability.