A disappointment for Lando Norris in Las Vegas. The Brit finished second this weekend, after title rival Max Verstappen denied him the lead in the first corner; afterwards, he admitted that he had ‘messed up’ his start. Still, he seemed to have a comfortable points margin heading into the final two Grands Prix. Not much later, however, he was disqualified from the results and saw Verstappen steadily closing in. Norris reacted with frustration.
After the podium ceremony in Las Vegas, where Norris celebrated his second place between race winner Verstappen and George Russell, both McLaren drivers were summoned to the stewards. The FIA had scrutinized the skid blocks under both cars and concluded that they were more worn than allowed. Such a violation indicates a too low setting of the car, which can give teams an unfair advantage. A long discussion followed, but a few hours after the checkered flag fell, both Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified.
Champion in Qatar?
Andrea Stella had already skipped his media obligations and later issued a written statement. The team boss admitted with disappointment that McLaren had inadvertently made a mistake and offered apologies to the drivers, the fans, and the team’s partners. Norris also responded in a defeated manner. “A frustrating end to the day,” he sighed to the media in Las Vegas. “We had to make some adjustments towards the end of the race, and now we know this was due to problems with the car. As a result, we were unfortunately disqualified.”
“It’s frustrating to lose so many points,” he admitted. “As a team, we always strive to get the most out of every race, and today we clearly did not find the right balance. I can’t change that now, so I’m fully focusing on Qatar, where we want to deliver the best possible performance in every session.” Norris’ lead over Piastri and Max Verstappen was initially 30 and 42 points; now both follow at a distance of 24 points. The Brit can still become champion during the upcoming sprint weekend in Qatar: as long as he scores two points more than both Piastri and Verstappen, the title is his.
