Formula 1 championship leading drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified after the Las Vegas Grand Prix Saturday (Nov. 22) night. During post-race technical inspection, the two McLaren cars, which have paced the driver and manufacturer standings since Australia were stripped of their finishes.
Originally Norris finished second behind winner Max Verstappen, and Piastri fourth.
Following the race, FIA found that the two McLaren cars rearmost skid wear was below the minimum 9mm thickness, resulting in the immediate disqualification. The team accepted the penalty, which removed 18 points for championship leader Norris, and 12 points for Piastri, who has slowly faded behind his teammate since losing the lead after Mexico City.
The infraction has tightened the championship battle, with Verstappen climbing back into the fight after the teams returned from their summer break. Since the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen has four wins, two runner-ups and two thirds. The strong results added with the disqualification has tied him in the standings with Piastri, 24 points behind Norris.
With 25 points available for a win, the title fight will continue. Formula 1 has two races left in the season, with Qatar Grand Prix on Nov. 30.
Tom is an IndyCar writer at Frontstretch, joining in March 2023. Besides writing the IndyCar Previews and frequent editions of Inside IndyCar, he will hop on as a fill-in guest on the Open Wheel podcast The Pit Straight. A native Hoosier, he calls Fort Wayne home. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomBlackburn42.