When Lando Norris crossed the line second at the 2025 Las Vegas Grand PrixLas Vegas Strip Circuit on Saturday night, he thought he’d all but sealed his first Formula 1 world title. Two days later, his dream teetered on a razor’s edge — not because he lost the race, but because his car was deemed illegal. On Monday, November 24, 2025, the FIA disqualified both Lando Norris and his McLaren F1 Team teammate Oscar Piastri after post-race inspections revealed their cars had exceeded the legal limit for plank wear. The twist? Norris still leads the championship — but now, he’s tied with no one. He’s got two rivals, both at 366 points, and only 58 points left to fight over.
The Las Vegas Collapse
The 2025 Las Vegas Grand PrixLas Vegas Strip Circuit was supposed to be Norris’s coronation. He’d taken pole — his seventh of the season, and third in a row. Verstappen started beside him. Piastri was fifth. The race unfolded like a thriller: Norris lost the lead on Turn One after overcommitting to cover Red Bull, Verstappen pitted cleanly on Lap 26, and Norris overtook George Russell on Lap 34 to reclaim second. It looked like a textbook performance — until the scrutineers got involved. The plank, that thin carbon-fiber strip under the car, is designed to ensure teams don’t run too low to the track for aerodynamic advantage. By regulation, wear must not exceed 1mm. Inspectors found Norris’s plank worn down to 1.4mm. Piastri’s? 1.3mm. Both were disqualified. The result? Verstappen, who’d won the race, kept his victory. Russell, who finished third, moved up to second. And suddenly, Norris and Piastri were stripped of 18 and 12 points respectively.The New Math of the Championship
Before the DQs, Norris led with 408 points, Piastri sat at 378, and Verstappen was at 354. After the penalties? Norris: 390. Piastri: 366. Verstappen: 366. A 24-point gap — but now, it’s split between two drivers who can both beat him. The math is brutal. To win the title in Qatar, Norris must finish at least two points ahead of both Piastri and Verstappen. That means if Verstappen wins and Norris finishes third, Norris loses. If Piastri finishes second and Norris fourth? Also a loss. "It’s not about points anymore," said Ted Kravitz, Sky Sports F1 analyst. "It’s about who can control the chaos. Norris has to be flawless. Verstappen has to be lucky. Piastri? He’s the wildcard — and he’s his own teammate. That’s a nightmare for McLaren’s strategy room."McLaren’s Impossible Position
This isn’t just a championship crisis — it’s a team crisis. McLaren led the Constructors’ Championship with 756 points. Now, they’ve lost 30 points from their total. With only two races left, they’re down to 726 points. Mercedes (431) and Red Bull (391) are closing fast. Even if Norris wins both remaining races, Piastri’s DQ means McLaren could lose the constructors’ crown — a devastating blow after years of rebuilding. "We didn’t break the rules on purpose," said Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal, in a terse post-race statement. "We’ve reviewed the data. The plank wear was within our expectations. But the FIA’s interpretation has changed. We’re appealing." The appeal is unlikely to succeed. Similar cases have been upheld since 2021, when the FIA tightened plank wear thresholds after multiple teams exploited aerodynamic advantages. The 2007 McLaren espionage scandal was about secrets. This? It’s about physics — and precision.
Verstappen’s Quiet Surge
Max Verstappen, who’d called his Las Vegas win "a nice bonus," now has a real shot. Before the DQs, he was 42 points behind Norris. Now? Just 24. He’s won four of the last seven races. His Red Bull is faster on low-grip circuits. Qatar’s Lusail International Circuit? A low-downforce, high-speed track. Perfect for him. "I’m not thinking about the title," Verstappen told reporters. "I’m thinking about winning the next race. If the points fall into place, fine. If not, I’ve still had a great season." That’s the quiet confidence of a champion. Norris? He’s under the microscope. Every corner, every gear shift, every tire temperature will be dissected. The pressure isn’t just on him — it’s on every engineer who touched the car’s underbody.What’s Next: Qatar and the Final Countdown
The Qatar Grand PrixLusail International Circuit on November 30 is now the de facto title decider. If Norris wins and both rivals finish fifth or lower, he’s champion. If Verstappen wins and Norris slips to fourth? The fight goes to Abu Dhabi on December 7 — and that’s where legends are made… or broken. The 2025 Formula 1 World Championship has been defined by drama: the return of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari, the meteoric rise of Antonelli, the collapse of Alpine. But nothing — not the rain in Monaco, not the crash in Silverstone — compares to this. A double DQ. Two teammates stripped. A championship hanging on a millimeter of carbon fiber.
Behind the Plank: A History of Technical Scrutiny
This isn’t the first time a car’s underside has changed a season. In 2021, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez were briefly investigated for similar plank wear after the Abu Dhabi GP — but no penalties followed. In 2007, McLaren was stripped of constructor points for espionage, not technical breaches. The closest parallel? 1994, when Ayrton Senna’s Williams was disqualified from Monaco for an illegal rear wing — a decision that cost him the title lead. History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes.Frequently Asked Questions
How does the plank wear rule work, and why is it so strict now?
The plank is a 10mm-thick wooden or carbon-fiber block under the car that prevents teams from running too close to the track for downforce gains. The FIA allows up to 1mm of wear over a race. After multiple teams exploited flexible floor designs in 2023-2024, the FIA tightened inspection protocols and began using laser scanning. Norris and Piastri’s cars exceeded this by 40-30%, triggering automatic disqualification under Article 3.12 of the Sporting Regulations.
Can Norris still win the title without winning Qatar?
Yes — but only if both Verstappen and Piastri score fewer than 26 points combined in Qatar. For example, if Norris finishes second (18 points), and Verstappen wins (25) while Piastri finishes sixth (8), Norris would still lead by 1 point. He doesn’t need to win, but he must outscore both rivals by at least two points total across the weekend.
Why didn’t McLaren spot the plank wear before the race?
McLaren’s simulation models predicted wear around 0.8mm. But the Las Vegas track’s abrasive surface — combined with gusty winds that forced drivers to overcorrect — created unexpected friction. Telemetry showed higher-than-expected lateral loads on the car’s skid blocks. The team didn’t anticipate the combination of wind-induced instability and tire degradation pushing wear beyond limits.
What does this mean for Piastri’s future with McLaren?
It’s complicated. Piastri is still under contract through 2027, but his performance has been inconsistent this season. The DQ has sparked rumors he could be replaced by rising star Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Team principal Andrea Stella says no decisions will be made until after Abu Dhabi. But with Norris now the undisputed #1, Piastri’s role may shift to support — unless he wins Qatar and proves he can deliver under pressure.
Is there precedent for a double DQ affecting the championship this late?
No. The closest was 2002, when Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher were disqualified from the United States GP for illegal fuel flow — but they weren’t title contenders. In 2021, no driver was penalized after Abu Dhabi despite similar plank issues. This is unprecedented: two championship contenders, both disqualified from a single race, with only two races left. The FIA has never faced this scenario.
How does this affect the Constructors’ Championship?
McLaren’s lead has shrunk from 325 points over Red Bull to just 365. With only 101 points left, Red Bull and Mercedes can overtake them. If McLaren scores only 15 points across Qatar and Abu Dhabi, Red Bull could win the constructors’ title — even if Norris wins the drivers’ crown. That would be a historic anomaly: a team winning the drivers’ title but losing the constructors’.