What initially looked like a solid result for McLaren quickly unraveled, as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were later disqualified due to excessive plank wear—an unexpected twist that reshaped the outcome of the Las Vegas GP and tightened the title fight dramatically. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli ultimately joined Max Verstappen on the podium, while Carlos Sainz secured an impressive fifth place; Fernando Alonso ended the night in eleventh.
Chaos Under the Neon Lights: The Las Vegas GP That Shook the Championship
Max Verstappen turned the opening moments of the Las Vegas GP into a masterclass, outsmarting Lando Norris off the line and converting that move into yet another victory that keeps his championship hopes very much alive.
The pivotal moment unfolded at the start. Verstappen, known for his uncompromising aggression, launched perfectly. Norris also reacted sharply, but his attempt to squeeze the Dutchman into Turn 1 went wrong when he braked too late, effectively clearing the way for the four-time champion to slip ahead. From that instant, Verstappen’s pace eclipsed everyone else’s, allowing him to cruise toward his 69th Formula 1 win. With only Qatar and Abu Dhabi left on the calendar, the title still seemed complicated—but not impossible.
Vegas Turns the Tables
Then came the post-race bombshell. Hours after the checkered flag, the FIA confirmed that both McLaren drivers were excluded from the results for exceeding wear limits on the car’s plank. The updated standings handed Verstappen a massive 25-point swing against each rival. With the revised totals now placing both the Dutchman and Piastri tied at 366 points—and just 24 behind Norris—the championship picture changed entirely. Considering the two races left, one of them a Sprint, a total of 58 points remain available. The Las Vegas GP may have blown the title fight wide open.
Russell benefited from the reshuffle, climbing from third to second, while Antonelli capped off a sensational comeback drive—after starting seventeenth and switching to hard tyres on lap two—with a well-deserved podium. Even with a five-second penalty looming over him, the Italian rookie held on by less than two-tenths against a charging Charles Leclerc, who had much fresher tyres.
McLaren Falls Hard
Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, lacked the machinery to challenge the top teams but still delivered an admirable performance. After initially slipping from third to seventh, he eventually inherited fifth place after the disqualifications, topping the midfield battle ahead of Isack Hadjar, Nico Hülkenberg, and even Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso, struggling with an Aston Martin that lacked competitiveness in dry conditions, finished just outside the points in eleventh, behind both Haas drivers.
Once the final classification was settled, the McLaren exclusions reshaped the entire order: Russell and Antonelli secured the remaining podium spots, Leclerc moved to fourth, Sainz to fifth, Hadjar to sixth, Hülkenberg to seventh, Hamilton to eighth, Ocon to ninth, Bearman to tenth—and Alonso narrowly missed out in eleventh. The Las Vegas GP may end up being remembered as the night the title battle was reignited.
Key Information
- What triggered the major shake-up in the final standings? McLaren’s disqualification for excessive plank wear.
- How many points separate the top three title contenders after the Las Vegas GP? Verstappen and Piastri trail Norris by 24 points.
- Who completed the podium once the penalties were applied? George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
- How did Carlos Sainz finish after the revised results? He moved up to fifth place.
