McLaren's Las Vegas DSQ blows F1 title race wide open

McLaren's Las Vegas DSQ blows F1 title race wide openStory by

Motorsport photoStuart CodlingSun, November 23, 2025 at 9:51 AM UTC·8 min read

Immediately after the Las Vegas GP, Lando Norris had one hand on the 2025 Formula 1 world drivers’ championship despite losing out to Max Verstappen in Sin City.

That all changed after both Norris and team-mate – and championship rival – Oscar Piastri were disqualified when their cars failed technical checks.

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

But while disqualification in Las Vegas has made Piastri’s job of catching Norris slightly easier, it has also made Verstappen much less of a fringe contender.

Verstappen would have had to outscore Norris by 17 points in Qatar to stay in the game, then win in Abu Dhabi with Norris failing to score in order to be tied on points – and even then, he would have needed to win the GP in Qatar as well. That’s because he currently has six wins over this season to Norris’s seven, so a tie on points and wins would mean the title went to the driver with the greatest number of second places – Norris.

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Had the Las Vegas result stood, Norris was highly likely to secure the world championship in Qatar, given that he was carrying a 30-point margin over Piastri and 42 over Verstappen into that weekend, after which only 25 more would be available.

Now, though, he only has a 24-point margin over both of them. To win the championship in Qatar, Norris will have to outscore both Piastri and Verstappen by two points. Under most of the permutations, a one-point margin would leave him open to the Abu Dhabi doomsday scenario.

While that remains unlikely, it’s not impossible. And while Abu Dhabi has been a dead-rubber round for the majority of its time on the calendar, it has played host to more than one unusual outcome – not just 2021, but also 2010, when Sebastian Vettel won the title despite not having led the world championship until that point.

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Photos from Las Vegas GP - Race

Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Magic Johnson arrives in the Paddock

Guido De Bortoli

Jay-Z on the Pirelli hot laps grid

Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Cynthia Erivo at Pirelli Hot Laps with Jenson Button

Peter Fox / Getty Images

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

A'ja Wilson arrives in the Paddock

Guido De Bortoli

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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images

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Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images

Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor of Alpine F1 talks with Naomi Campbell

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

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Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Kym Illman / Getty Images

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Zak Brown, McLaren

Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Peter Fox / Getty Images

Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari

Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren

Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images

Terry Crews

Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images