Disqualifications of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri bring unnecessary stress for McLaren in the final two F1 races of the season
As misjudgments go, McLaren’s error in calculations that led to the disqualification of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Sunday could barely have been more cataclysmic nor more poorly timed. Quite how they got it wrong just when they wanted to close out the drivers’ championship with as little fuss as possible will take no little explanation.
Norris and Piastri, second and fourth respectively to Max Verstappen’s win in Nevada, had been solid enough results until the FIA discovered the skid blocks on their cars had been worn beyond the 9mm limit. In one fell swoop, Verstappen was right back in the fight, alongside Piastri, 24 points back from Norris.
It is exactly the sort of proximity to set nerves jangling unnecessarily with two meetings remaining and 58 points up for grabs. Norris still holds the cards, but a single slip, an error, an unwanted contact, a mechanical failure or even another technical infringement and Verstappen could be breathing down his neck in an all or nothing season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Such a prospect was unthinkablewhen he was 104 points behind Piastri after the Dutch GP on the final day of August. But for the miscalculation, Norris would have gone into the next round in Qatar with a 30-point lead over Piastri and 42 on Verstappen.
