F1 ‘insider’ says McLaren did something that ‘almost never’ happens amid Las Vegas disqualification

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McLaren suffered a major blow to their championship hopes in 2025 as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Norris crossed the line in second after losing the lead at the start to Max Verstappen. He could not catch the Dutchman as he collected his sixth win of the season at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Piastri finished in P5, but was promoted to fourth after Kimi Antonelli was hit with a five-second time penalty. However, neither McLaren driver’s results would stand as they were summoned to the stewards and later disqualified for excessive plank wear.

Norris and Piastri reacted to the disqualification via a statement from McLaren. The team did not offer any public reaction to the decision in the paddock in Las Vegas, as they were held in a meeting with the FIA.

F1 ‘insider’ says McLaren contested their Las Vegas DSQ for an hour with the FIA, it ‘almost never happens’

It took a number of hours before it was confirmed that Norris and Piastri had been disqualified. That was because, as journalist Ronald Vording notes, McLaren had tried to protest the decision in an hour-long meeting with the FIA.

He explained via Motorsport.com Nederland that this very rarely happens in the paddock: “The second factor why it took so long is that the insider told me that the meeting with McLaren lasted an hour. It almost never happens that a meeting with the stewards lasts an hour.

“But yes, it was reported that McLaren tried hard to contest it and that they tried to dispute every detail. For example, McLaren said: “Yes, we had this race, unforeseen porpoising. That played a role.‘

“They also said: ’Yes, we actually had very little training time, with shortened training due to that manhole cover. Then very little training at all in the dry.’

“So it was a bit of a guess. Well, in principle, those are all valid points that make it more difficult for teams to determine the ideal ride height, but they are not valid points for the technical regulations.

“Because those technical regulations don’t care about that at all, because they simply prescribe what is and is not legal.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

What does McLaren’s DSQ mean for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s title chances?

McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas has set up several permutations for the final two races of the season. They all point towards Norris potentially wrapping up the title in Qatar.

The Brit would have had a 30-point lead heading into the race if his P2 in Las Vegas had stood. Instead, he leads by 24 points, which still means that he can wrap up the championship if he beats Piastri and Verstappen in Qatar.

The Red Bull driver is now level on points with Piastri following his win. Jenson Button thinks Norris now sees Verstappen as his main rival for the title, which would suggest that his McLaren teammate’s chances are over.

The Australian is in a torrid run of form, having not finished on the podium since Monza. However, Piastri’s DSQ in Las Vegas is actually a good thing, as he has less of a margin to make up and is more suited to Qatar and its high-grip circuit.