Max Verstappen dominated the Las Vegas Grand Prix and has been given a major championship boost after McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified for excessive skid block wear.
Four hours after the chequered flag, the stewards announced both McLarens had been disqualified following an investigation into their rear skid blocks which had worn out beyond the 9mm limit.
Norris had finished second behind Verstappen to move a step closer to a first F1 world title but now sees his championship lead remain at 24 points over Piastri but, more importantly, also Verstappen.
Norris can still win the Drivers’ Championship next Sunday if he leaves the Qatar Grand Prix with a lead of 26 points, or more, over his rivals. However, Verstappen is now a serious threat and will at least want to take the title fight to the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Piastri had finished the Las Vegas race in fourth, so lost more points to Norris but the disqualifications help his championship ambitions.
In the race itself, pole-sitter Norris lost out to Verstappen and George Russell in a dramatic start. Norris was outfoxed by Verstappen on the short run down to Turn One as he darted to the inside to cover the Red Bull driver but went too deep and gave up first place.
Russell also capitalised by going around the outside at Turn Two, so Norris dropped to third but later cruised past Russell in the second half of the race to take back second.
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It was a dramatic start and a bad one for McLaren, as Lando Norris fell to third place, overtaken by Max Verstappen and George Russell, and Oscar Piastri dropped from fifth to seventh, with incidents further behind too
“I made the mistake into Turn One. You’ve got to be punchy into Turn One, I was just a bit too punchy,” said Norris, who could become Britain’s 11th F1 world champion.
“That cost me, so that’s the way it is sometimes.”
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Verstappen, Norris and Russell were taken to the podium by a pink Cadillac, built from Lego!
Kimi Antonelli has benefitted from the McLaren disqualifications as he moves up to third, despite a five-second time penalty for jumping the start.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton made up ground early on to finish what has become fourth and eighth, with Williams’ Carlos Sainz taking fifth, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Hamilton started on the hards and gained seven spots on the opening lap after taking advantage of Gabriel Bortoleto hitting Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly at the first turn, with Liam Lawson also making contact with Piastri which punctured the Racing Bulls driver’s tyres.
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Lewis Hamilton and Alex Albon bring out Virtual Safety Car at the Las Vegas Grand Prix
Verstappen dominates after dramatic start
After making it a hat-trick of pole positions on Saturday, Norris insisted he would still take risks in the Grand Prix and stuck to his word by aggressively fending off Verstappen, only to outbrake himself in a move which may have dictated the result.
The pair came close to contact with each other and the wall but Verstappen smartly let Norris go before speeding past at the exit of Turn One, as Norris lifted which allowed Russell to dance around the outside.
Russell pushed Verstappen hard early on, keeping within DRS range but was unable to mount a serious attack. The Mercedes driver’s medium tyres then started to grain up and he also dealt with a steering issue which hampered him in Q3, so Verstappen was able to build a three-second buffer ahead of the only round of pit stops.
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Despite having won in Las Vegas, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen feels it will be difficult to win the world title, with the Dutchman still 42 points behind leader Lando Norris
Russell was the first of the leaders to pit on Lap 18 and Verstappen boxed on Lap 26, still coming out in the lead one second ahead of Russell then cruised away to a sixth win of the season.
“Normally the race is a tough one for us. We are normally not that great on tyres, but today it seemed like we had it a bit more under control and I could push a little bit more,” said Verstappen.
“That unlocked a little more pace and I could stay out a little bit longer and split the race in half. That helped a lot. The car was working well and much more to my liking. In the end it was quite a decent gap.”
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A big moment in the Las Vegas Grand Prix as Norris overtakes Russell for second place and Verstappen receives a radio message warning him that his title rival is on the charge
Similarly to the opening stint, Russell tried to keep up with Verstappen but damaged his tyres which left him susceptible to Norris, who easily overtook his compatriot on the Las Vegas Strip on Lap 34.
Norris was told to “go and get Max” at four seconds up the road but did not have the pace of the Dutchman. He later suffered an issue with three laps to go which him to lift and coast, and now turns out may have been to do with the skid block wear, but had enough of an advantage to finish three seconds ahead of Russell but 20 seconds behind Verstappen.
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Despite extending his lead to 30 points over McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris was left frustrated after finishing second behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Las Vegas
“It was not my best performance out there but when the guy wins by 20 seconds it’s because he has just done a better job and they’re a bit quicker,” said Norris.
“Fun race out there, difficult as always, but good fun.”
F1’s season-ending triple header continues with the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint weekend live on Sky Sports F1 from Friday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
