Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri react after ‘frustrating’ Las Vegas Grand Prix disqualification

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McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, creating the latest twist in the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship.

Lando Norris originally finished second behind championship rival Max Verstappen on the streets of Las Vegas.

That initially gave him a 30-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri, who could only recover to fourth after a disappointing qualifying session.

Piastri was hit by Liam Lawson on the opening lap, but only suffered marginal damage. However, he couldn’t find a way past Andrea Kimi Antonelli to try and catch George Russell further up the road.

Norris was frustrated that he couldn’t catch Verstappen, who recorded the 69th win of his Formula 1 career, but knew it was possible to win his first drivers’ championship at the Qatar Grand Prix.

However, both McLaren drivers were disqualified from the race for excessive plank wear in a huge blow to their title chances.

Piastri is now level with Verstappen in the standings, and Norris’ advantage has shrunk to 24 points.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri release statements after Las Vegas Grand Prix disqualification

Reacting to losing his P2 finish, Norris said: “A frustrating end to today.

“We had to do some managing towards the end of the race, and now we know it was due to some issues with our car, which have unfortunately resulted in us being disqualified.

“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.

“Nothing I can do will change that now; instead, full focus switches to Qatar, where we’ll aim to go out and deliver the best possible performance in every session.”

Piastri also added his thoughts and explained: “Disappointing to come away from this weekend with no points after an unfortunate disqualification due to skid wear.

“With how close the grid is, we’re always looking at where we can gain performance, and we didn’t get it right this time.

“We now need to reset, refocus and push to get the best points possible in the final two rounds, both tracks that we’ve been strong at previously.”

Andrea Stella provides reason for McLaren disqualification in Las Vegas

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella cancelled his post-race media session in Las Vegas, which was the final sign that both of his drivers were in trouble with the stewards.

Instead, the McLaren boss chose to release a statement alongside his drivers, which provided more clarity on why his cars were eventually disqualified from Sunday’s race after hours of waiting.

He said: “Following the Las Vegas Grand Prix, we were found in breach of Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations, which requires a minimum of 9mm skid thickness. Car 4 was found in breach by a maximum of 0.12mm of the rearmost skid, and Car 81 by a maximum of 0.26mm of the rearmost skid.

“During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the Practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground. We are investigating the reasons for this behaviour of the car, including the effect of accidental damage sustained by both cars, which we found after the race, and that led to an increase of movement of the floor.

“As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed.

“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. As a team, we also apologise to our partners and fans, whose support means so much.

“While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season.”