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lando norris And oscar piastri Were both ineligible From las vegas grand prix In a dramatic moment in 2025 f1 Title race.
Norris finishes Vegas race in second place max verstappen winning the grand prix and oscar piastri Down in the fourth. Norris had increased their lead to 30 points As a result.
However, in a major post-race development, both McLaren cars were undergoing testing FIA To wear excessive plank. Then, the matter was referred to the stewards, who duly ordered a double disqualification for McLaren.
This decision means something to both Verstappen and Piastri 24 points behind NorrisWhile two rounds are left and 58 points are left in the table. Verstappen will be level on points with Piastri, although the Australian will move ahead in second place, having had more race wins (seven to six) than the Dutchman.
But why were Norris and Piastri disqualified?
Norris and Piastri have been penalized for an illegal post-race car, with the thickness of the undercarriage being less than the 9 mm thickness required by FIA rules.
Skid wear is monitored so that teams do not run their cars too low to the ground for performance gains.
The stewards’ decision showed that plank-wear was 0.12 mm over the limit for Norris’ car and 0.26 mm for Piastri’s car. McLaren argued that unpredictable porpoising, when the car bounces violently up and down, limited testing opportunities due to rain on Thursday night and short practice sessions in Vegas gave them mitigating circumstances.
However, the FIA acknowledged that there was no room in the rules or previous rulings for anything other than a disqualification decision.
The FIA’s full statement is as follows: “The rear skids of Car 4 and Car 81 were measured and found to be less than the minimum thickness of 9 mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations.
“The relevant measurements were RHS front 8.88 mm, RHS rear 8.93 mm. The measuring instrument was a Mitutoyo micrometer purchased in May 2025 and, according to the manufacturer’s specifications, was accurate to within 0.001 mm.
“The rear skids were re-measured in the presence of the stewards and three McLaren representatives and those measurements confirmed that the skids did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those originally measured by the technical representative.
“Accordingly the stewards determined that a violation of the technical regulations had occurred. The stewards then heard arguments on penalty.
“The team argued that mitigating circumstances existed because there was additional and unexpected porpoising at the event, there was limited opportunity to test due to weather on the first day, and practice sessions were shortened.
“Furthermore, the team submitted that the degree of violation was lower than previous violations of this regulation in 2025.
“The FIA argued that unfortunately there was no provision in the rules or in the preceding for any penalty other than the normal penalty (i.e. disqualification). The FIA noted that it strongly believes that the violation was unintentional and was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules.
“The stewards also note various decisions of the FIA International Court of Appeal, which limit the ability to avoid disqualification for technical violations.”
Norris and the McLaren team representatives went to the stewards just before midnight local time to argue their case, but could not prevent the inevitable disqualification, confirmed by race officials.
Norris, running second to Verstappen, slowed in the closing laps of the 50-lap race, reportedly due to fuel-economy concerns.
The preliminary report from FIA technical representative Joe Bauer stated: “Cars Nos. 81 (Piastri) and 04 (Norris) were checked for skid wear.
The preliminary report from FIA technical representative Joe Bauer reads: “Cars Nos. 81 (Piastri) and 04 (Norris) were checked for skid wear.
“The rearmost skid was measured on both cars in accordance with the team’s statutory documents according to TD039M, item 1.2b)i). The measured thickness on both cars was less than 9 mm, which is the minimum thickness required by TR Article 3.5.9e).
“I am referring this matter to the managers for consideration.”
The specific section of the FIA rule book states: “The thickness of the plank assembly, measured normally on the lower surface, must be 10 mm [plus or minus] 0.2mm and should be the same when new.
“A minimum thickness of 9 mm shall be accepted due to wear, and conformance to this provision shall be checked on the circumference of the specified holes.”
The decision is similar to the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. At the Chinese Grand Prix in MarchAfter a glitch in post-race technical scrutineering. Both Hamilton and Leclerc were Disqualified from 2023 United States Grand PrixAlso for skid block damage.
This means that Norris (18 points) and Piastri (12 points) are wiped from the final Las Vegas GP standings.
As a result, Norris’ lead over Piastri remains at 24 points, with Vegas race winner Max Verstappen now level on points with Piastri.
Verstappen is technically third, as the Dutchman has won six to seven fewer races than Piastri.
There are two rounds remaining, with a sprint weekend in Qatar next week before the season-finale in Abu Dhabi. There are still 58 points left to play.