Lando Norris and his McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Sunday after officials found the skid blocks on both cars were below the minimum depth required by Formula 1 regulations.
Norris had originally finished second behind Max Verstappen, a result that would have extended his lead in the drivers’ championship. Despite the disqualification, the Briton remains 24 points ahead of both Verstappen and Piastri with two races left in the season.
The title fight moves to Qatar next weekend, a sprint event that offers a maximum of 58 points across the final two rounds. Norris will secure the championship at Lusail if he scores two more points than both of his rivals during the weekend. The season concludes in Abu Dhabi on 7 December.
The skid block rule is intended to stop teams from running their cars too low, a setup that usually generates more speed. Similar violations have proved costly before. Lewis Hamilton was disqualified after the Chinese Grand Prix in March and also lost his result at the 2023 United States Grand Prix for the same issue, as did Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Mercedes driver George Russell was stripped of victory in Belgium last season for an identical infringement.
