The Las Vegas strip gave Formula 1 its flash. The stewards gave it its shock. After finishing second and fourth on the road, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were both thrown out of the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix results for a technical breach on their cars’ skid blocks, blowing the championship race wide open with two rounds and a sprint left.

It’s a brutal twist at a brutal time. Norris’s once-comfortable cushion shrinks from 42 points to 24 over both Max Verstappen and his teammate Piastri, who now sit level. With just 58 points left on the table across the final two grands prix and one sprint, this title fight has been yanked back to a three-way tug-of-war.

What the rule says: the plank that ended a podium

Post-race checks found excessive wear on the rear skid block—the car’s “plank”—on both McLarens. That’s a clear breach of Article 3.5.9 e) of the 2025 technical regulations, which sets a minimum thickness for the plank. Think of it as the car’s ruler: too much wear means the car ran too low, for too long, or hit the ground too hard, gaining a potential performance edge that the rules aim to prevent.

The punishment is harsh but standard: disqualification. No half measures, no time penalty, no fine. If the plank is too thin, the car is out. That’s why Norris and Piastri lost all their Las Vegas points and results, marking the fifth and sixth disqualifications of the season.

“Two cars, same breach, title on the line—that’s as big as it gets.”

Why it happened: porpoising returns with a vengeance

McLaren’s explanation was swift and contrite. Team principal Andrea Stella apologized to both drivers, calling the breach unintentional. He pointed to unexpected high levels of porpoising—the violent bouncing that can make a car slam into the track—along with accidental floor damage during the race. Both issues increase plank wear, often without a clear warning during the chaos of a grand prix.

The FIA agreed there was no intent to cheat and noted mitigating circumstances. But the rule is a hard line: intent doesn’t matter. The thickness must meet the minimum.

McLaren argued their case with the stewards for over an hour. In the end, the measurements made the decision. The DSQs stood.

Who gains: Verstappen steady, Mercedes profit big

On the day, Max Verstappen’s win for Red Bull was untouched. The big movers were behind him. George Russell was promoted to second, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli—the Mercedes rookie—claimed a career-making third place. For Mercedes, it was a valuable haul. For the title race, it was a reset.

The updated standings tell the story:

• Lando Norris: 390 points
• Max Verstappen: 366 points
• Oscar Piastri: 366 points

Norris still leads, but the gap is now only 24. With 58 points left to score across the final two races and one sprint, one bad Saturday or one unlucky Safety Car could flip the order again.

“The title didn’t swing on pace, it swung on millimeters.”

The title picture: advantage Norris, pressure everywhere

Norris holds a mathematical edge. He doesn’t need to outscore both rivals in every session. But the Las Vegas shock means he no longer controls his own destiny as firmly as he did.

To seal it early, Norris likely needs to win next time out in Qatar and hope one or both rivals stumble. If Verstappen and Piastri both score big, the finale turns into a last-race shootout. And with Piastri level with Verstappen, team politics won’t help Norris now; McLaren must let both drivers race, and Red Bull can focus fully on Verstappen’s chase.

A first in F1: two DSQs, same team, same reason, at crunch time

This is unprecedented. Never before have both cars from a single team been thrown out for the same technical reason at such a critical point in a championship fight. It underscores how thin the margin is in modern F1. Ride a fraction too low, bounce a little too hard, and the plank pays the price.

It also explains why teams set conservative ride heights on bumpy or new street tracks. The temptation to run low for grip is huge. The risk, as McLaren just learned, is season-defining.

“Porpoising was supposed to be solved. Vegas just reminded everyone it isn’t.”

Inside the garage: setup risk vs. reliability

From a technical lens, Las Vegas was always going to be tricky. Long straights, heavy braking, and surface changes can trigger bouncing that isn’t obvious in practice, especially with different fuel loads and temperatures. McLaren say those race-only conditions caught them out. The plank wore too fast; the micrometer at scrutineering told the rest.

There is a bigger lesson here for every team. The 2025 cars still live on the edge with ground-effect aerodynamics. When porpoising reappears, it can snowball into floor strikes and wear. Teams may now raise ride heights for Qatar and the finale, trading a little lap time for certainty they pass the post-race check.

Fallout and next steps: Qatar becomes a must-answer weekend

For McLaren, this is about response as much as results. Stella’s apology sets the tone; the team must prove Vegas was a one-off. Expect careful setup choices, more margin on plank wear, and maybe fewer kerb strikes in race trim.

For Verstappen, the path is clear: keep scoring, keep the pressure on. For Piastri, the mission is the same—match or beat Norris whenever the chance appears. And for Mercedes, the Vegas promotion can be a springboard; Russell and Antonelli showed how quickly fortunes can change when others stumble.

One more twist: we’ve already seen six disqualifications this season. The message is clear. Scrutineering is tight, and late-season tension won’t loosen those checks. Every millimeter matters.

Bottom line: the strip dealt a wild card

Las Vegas promised drama. It delivered a title earthquake. Norris still leads, but now Verstappen and Piastri can see the summit again. The rules are the rules, the stakes are the stakes, and the story now runs through Qatar with everything to fight for.

We’re set for a three-driver sprint to the finish—and thanks to a plank measured too thin, the 2025 championship just found its final act.