LAS VEGAS GP – Max Verstappen takes dominant win as McLaren disqualified for excessive skid block wear
Max Verstappen took a dominant win as he finished twenty seconds ahead of championship leader Lando Norris to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix. However, the championship leader and his main rival and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri were disqualified from the race after their plank wear was found to break the regulations.
Verstappen got the better start and while Norris tried to put in an aggressive defence on the short run down to Harbour Island (Turn One), under the pressure, Norris then out braked himself, allowing Verstappen and George Russell past. Russell had also made a great start from fourth as he passed Carlos Sainz on the way to the first corner.
But as the race continued, it became clear that Russell didn’t have the pace to stop Norris coming through. Mercedes tried to undercut the McLaren but once the pit-stops played out, Verstappen emerged a second ahead of Russell, and then Norris was once again behind the Mercedes. Norris then cruised his way back passed at the Cosmopolitan (Fourteen), with Russell admitting that he didn’t want to take a risk and concede a podium finish.
At the start, Norris was true to his claim that he was “not here not to take risks” as he fought hard to defend his advantage from pole position from Verstappen.
The potential champion-elect was told then to try and case after the expected outgoing champion in the closing lap, but Verstappen was able to up his pace and coupled with the need to save fuel, he was forced to back off and stay two ahead of Russell. Kimi Antonelli joined Russell on the podium as he was promoted to third when Piastri was disqualified.
Piastri’s disqualification saw him lose more ground to Norris in their championship fight, though Verstappen remains in the race, his chance of a fifth title is the same as Piastri as they are tied on three hundred and sixty-six points. Norris still has a twenty-four-point lead over Piastri and Verstappen, with fifty-eight on the table.
Adding to a frustrating night for the Melbournian, who spent the whole race following the VSC behind Antonelli, then a five-second time penalty and then disqualification.
Verstappen has been brought back from the dead after retirement in Zandvoort, thought his hopes of a fifth title still look difficult, as McLaren are expected to be strong going to the warmer deserts in Lusail and Abu Dhabi over the next fortnight.
Verstappen said, despite taking a significant chunk out of Norris lead, “It’s still a big gap, we always try and maximise everything we’ve got. In upcoming weekends, we will try and win the race and at the end of Abu Dhabi, we will see where we end up, but I’m very proud of everyone.”
Piastri told BBC News, “Just try to put myself in the best position I can. I obviously need quite a lot of things to go my way now to win, but all I can do is make myself in the best position to capitalise if something happens.”
Verstappen, however, at least mathematically remains in the title race, but he would need to finish ahead of Norris in all three remaining races, which is expected to be difficult given how strong McLaren is expected to be in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The Italian finished the race just ahead of Piastri on track, but was given a five-second penalty after jumping the start, the disqualification saw the Mercedes hang on to fourth as he was over five seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc. Leclerc and his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton charged through from last to finish fifth and ninth, in the adjusted classification.
Hamilton was unable to make further progress after getting into the top ten following his lightning start after his worst qualifying on pure pace of his career, he became trapped in a DRS train, preventing further progress.
Carlos Sainz finished just over four seconds behind his former teammate, and his measured drive saw him hold off as well as build a comfortable advantage of ten seconds ahead of Isack Hadjar. Nico Hulkenberg was eighth as he finished eight seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon was promoted to the points as he finished nearly ten seconds ahead of his Haas teammate Ollie Bearman.
Bearman had looked to hang on for much of the race to what was eleventh place, but Ocon and his English teammate had early on ran just inside the top ten early on before being past in the closing stages. Fernando Alonso was a second and a half ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, following his pit lane start.
Pierre Gasly recovered from last to finish fifteenth. The Alpine driver was spun around at the first corner and that effectively left him unable to convert his tenth on the grid into points in what has been a difficult season for Alpine. Gasly was the last car on the lead lap, with Liam Lawson finishing seven seconds ahead of Franco Colapinto.
Alex Albon retired after a collision earlier in the race with Hamilton. Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll were also involved in the incident at Harbour Apartments on the opening lap.