The 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix had a shocking end. The biggest news came hours after the race was over. Both McLaren drivers were disqualified after the final car checks.

Lando Norris had finished the race in second place. It was a tough race, but he earned a strong result. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, crossed the line in fourth place.

Those results did not last.

After the race, officials checked both McLaren cars. They found that the cars did not meet the required technical rules. As a result, Norris and Piastri were both disqualified. They lost their race results and all the points they had earned.

The decision also had a major effect on the 2025 Drivers’ Championship. Max Verstappen had won the race. With both McLaren cars removed from the results, he gained even more ground in the title fight.

So, how did McLaren lose such a strong result?

The answer comes down to Formula 1’s strict car rules. One key rule was Article 3.5.9. To understand what went wrong, we need to look at this rule, the checks made after the race, and the events that led to McLaren’s costly Las Vegas result.

Inside Article 3.5.9: Why McLaren Failed the Technical Inspection

The core reason behind Lando Norris’s disqualification lies directly beneath the floor of his car. During routine post-race technical checks, FIA delegates examined the rearmost skid wear on both McLaren MCL39 machines.

Upon physical inspection, the skid blocks—commonly known as the wooden or composite planks beneath the chassis—were found to be below the mandatory minimum thickness threshold.

According to Article 3.5.9 of the F1 Technical Regulations, the plank on the underside of a Formula 1 car must maintain a strict minimum thickness of 9mm throughout the entire duration of a Grand Prix.

When technical delegates measured the rearmost skid blocks on Norris’s and Piastri’s vehicles, the physical material had eroded beyond this legal limit.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              FIA TECHNICAL RULE: ARTICLE 3.5.9          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Mandatory Minimum Skid Block Thickness:  9.0 mm         │
│ McLaren Post-Race Measured Thickness:    < 9.0 mm       │
│ Official Ruling:                         Disqualification│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The first check found a rules issue. The case was then sent to the race stewards. The rear skids were checked again to make sure the result was correct.

The stewards and three McLaren team members were there for this check. The new test found the same issue. In fact, the official report said the new readings were even lower than the first ones.

The skid block rule stops teams from running their cars too close to the track. A lower car can create more grip and downforce.

This can help the car go faster through turns. But running too low can also cause safety risks and give a team an unfair gain. For this reason, the plank must meet the 9 mm minimum limit. This rule is strict and applies to every car.

The Defense vs. The Verdict: Porpoising and Weather Disruptions

During the formal hearing with the FIA stewards, McLaren representatives presented detailed explanations regarding why the excessive skid wear occurred on both MCL39 entries.

The team highlighted a combination of severe mechanical factors and unpredictable track environment challenges that eroded the planks faster than engineering models had anticipated.

McLaren argued that mitigating circumstances directly contributed to the technical breach:

1. Unexpected Porpoising: Both cars experienced severe, unexpected high-frequency vertical bouncing (porpoising) and heavy bottoming out over the fast, bumpy sections of the Las Vegas street circuit during the 50-lap distance.
2. Disrupted Track Time: Extreme weather conditions on Day 1 led to shortened practice sessions, severely limiting the team’s ability to evaluate long-run ride heights and plank degradation under full fuel loads.
3. Lack of Intent: The team emphasized that there was no deliberate effort to compromise safety or bypass technical boundaries for performance gains.

The FIA stewards reviewed all the data. They agreed that McLaren had faced tough conditions. They also said the rule breach was not on purpose. McLaren did not try to break the rules or gain an unfair edge.

Still, the stewards had to apply the rules. F1 has strict rules for car parts and their size. If a part does not meet the set limit, the car can be ruled out. The reason for the breach does not change this. Bad weather or other issues do not remove the penalty.

The same rule had been used before in the 2025 season. McLaren was not the first team to face a penalty for too much plank wear.

Lewis Hamilton was ruled out of the Chinese Grand Prix for the same type of issue. Nico Hulkenberg was also ruled out of the Bahrain Grand Prix due to excess skid block wear.

On-Track Drama Before the Ruling: Fuel Concerns and Turn 1 Chaos

The post-race ban was a huge blow for McLaren. Both drivers had fought hard during the 50-lap race. Lando Norris started the race from pole. But things went wrong at the first turn.

Norris moved across to defend from Max Verstappen at the start. He then ran wide at Turn 1. The outside of the track was dusty, and Norris lost grip. He fell from first to third place.

Norris soon found good pace again. He fought his way back to second place.

But near the end of the race, McLaren told him to slow down. The team asked him to use “lift and coast” before the braking zones. This was due to a fuel concern.

Norris did not know why the team had asked him to slow down so much. After the race, he said he would need to speak with his engineers to learn more.

Norris Race Timeline – Las Vegas GP:

Pole Start → Wide at Turn 1 → Drops to P3 → Fights Back to P2 → Lift and Coast → Post-Race Ban

Oscar Piastri also had a tough race.

He started further back on the grid. On the first lap, he made contact with Liam Lawson at Turn 1. The clash dropped Piastri to seventh place.

McLaren then used its pit stops to help him move back up the field. The plan worked, and Piastri was soon back in the fight for points.

But he spent much of his second stint behind Kimi Antonelli. The dirty air made it hard for Piastri to get close. He also lost grip when he tried to make a pass.

Piastri crossed the line in fifth place. He then moved up to fourth after Antonelli got a five-second penalty for a false start. After the race, Piastri said McLaren’s plan had helped save his race. Still, he felt they could have gained more.

At that point, he did not know what was coming. The post-race checks soon led to his ban and wiped out all of his points from the race.

Championship Implications: Title Fight Blown Open

The double disqualification dramatically reshaped the landscape of the 2025 Drivers’ Championship with only two rounds remaining in the season.

Prior to the steward’s decision, Norris was on track to solidify his lead at the top of the standings. Stripping his 18 points for second place drastically reduced his cushion over his rivals.

Norris remains in the lead of the championship with 390 points, but his advantage has been reduced to just 24 points.

Concurrently, Max Verstappen capitalized fully on McLaren’s setback. By taking the victory in Las Vegas and seeing both McLarens erased from the classification, Verstappen surged to 366 points. This places the Red Bull driver completely level on points with Oscar Piastri in second place overall.

With two Grands Prix and one Sprint session remaining on the 2025 calendar, there are still 58 total points available. What once appeared to be a comfortable championship defense for McLaren has transformed into a fierce three-way battle heading into the final race weekends.

Final Takeaways

The Las Vegas Grand Prix proved that in modern Formula 1, mechanical compliance is just as critical as on-track race craft.

McLaren demonstrated winning pace, but subtle floor wear caused by vertical bouncing and compressed setup windows stripped them of a vital double-podium haul.

As the paddock prepares for the final races, momentum has swung dramatically toward Red Bull and Max Verstappen.