The championship battle in Formula One has tightened significantly, but McLaren’s Lando Norris insists his mindset remains unchanged. This follows a dramatic post-race disqualification for both Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a decision that has brought Red Bull’s Max Verstappen firmly back into title contention.
While Verstappen claimed victory on the track, Norris had initially crossed the line in second place, with Piastri finishing fourth. Hours later, however, the FIA stewards excluded both McLaren drivers after technical inspections revealed their cars’ skid blocks were worn beyond the legal minimum thickness.
The penalty has dramatically reshuffled the standings heading into the penultimate round in Qatar. Verstappen, who was 49 points adrift, now sits just 24 points behind Norris—a deficit matched by Piastri. Despite the setback, which cost him a more comfortable lead, Norris downplayed any shift in pressure.
“We’ve viewed him as a threat all season, regardless of the points gap,” Norris stated. “We’re aware of his and Red Bull’s capabilities, so our approach doesn’t change now. We’ve been performing well, and I’m confident in our work. We know what we need to improve, but I don’t consider last weekend a failure in terms of our performance.”
The driver acknowledged the sting of the disqualification, which nullified a strong team result. “Naturally, it’s painful,” he admitted. “A tremendous amount of effort goes into every race, and to see it vanish so quickly is tough for everyone—mechanics, engineers, the whole team. We’re all disappointed, but it was important to reset, take a few days, and focus on the next challenge.”
Piastri echoed his teammate’s frustration but was clear about his own championship ambitions. When questioned about potentially aiding Norris in the fight against Verstappen, the Australian was direct. “We’ve had a brief talk, and the answer is no,” Piastri said. “I’m level on points with Max and still have a realistic chance to win this myself. That’s how we’ll proceed.”
With 58 points available in Qatar, including a sprint race, Norris can mathematically secure the title this weekend. To do so, he must outscore both Verstappen and Piastri by two points, or by one point if he wins the Grand Prix on Sunday.
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella addressed the technical infringement, denying the team had taken an undue risk with their car setup. He explained that an unexpected and severe bout of ‘porpoising’—a vertical bouncing motion—during the race caused the excessive wear, a phenomenon not predicted from their practice data.
“We do not believe we operated with an excessive risk margin on ride height,” Stella said. “We had incorporated a safety buffer for the race. The root cause was the extensive porpoising, which was aggravated by race conditions and fell outside our anticipated operating window.”