Verstappen’s Vegas Win, McLaren’s Blow & the Championship Reset

On Saturday night at the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing surged to victory, setting off a dramatic shift in the Formula 1 title battle. Verstappen’s win was overshadowed by the post-race disqualifications of the two leading drivers from McLaren — Lando Norris (originally second) and his teammate Oscar Piastri (originally fourth) — for violating technical regulations concerning excessive skid-plank wear. R

With those disqualifications confirmed, the standings now show Norris narrowly leading with 24 points over both Piastri and Verstappen, who are tied in points thanks to the reshuffle. There are two races left in the season, meaning 58 points remain available — the title is back up for grabs.

McLaren, despite already clinching the Constructors’ Championship, issued an apology to both drivers and fans for the breach, attributing the excess wear to unexpected porpoising and limited testing time, and insisting there was no deliberate attempt to break the rules.