McLaren’s pursuit of having one of their drivers win this year’s Formula 1 world championship has taken a massive blow, as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who finished second and fourth on the grid, were disqualified several hours after the 50-lap race on the streets of Las Vegas on Sunday.
The FIA stated that the Papayas’ cars failed their inspections, so Norris and Piastri’s efforts went to waste, and neither driver took home additional points. Because of this stunning development, everyone else made a considerable move up, including the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Meanwhile, Ferrari had a mixed bag of results, as Charles Leclerc almost secured a podium spot, while teammate Lewis Hamilton was quite off pace. And Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto’s lacklustre run of Formula 1 2025 results continued in Sin City.
Just in case you missed it, here is a recap of the biggest news in the world of Formula 1.
McLaren drivers DQ’ed after failed post-race checks
After winning the constructors’ championship for the second consecutive year in Singapore, McLaren’s performances have ebbed more than they’ve flowed in the past four races. During their up-and-down stretch, Lando Norris usurped Oscar Piastri at the top, especially after back-to-back victories in Mexico and Sao Paulo. On the other hand, defending champion Max Verstappen was on the outside looking in.
However, fast forward to today, and the SBOTOP Formula 1 2025 odds have undergone a drastic shift. Norris (390 points) only leads by 24 points over Piastri and Verstappen, with the latter tying the Australian following the Papayas’ double DQ and his dominant drive in Las Vegas.
McLaren experienced a double whammy, as the two MCL39s’ skid block wear were found to be below the minimum 9mm thickness. They’re not the first team to fall foul of skid block infringements this season, as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg were also punished from the Chinese and Bahrain Grands Prix for the same violation.
During the race, Norris had started on pole and aggressively moved over Verstappen off the line before running wide at Turn 1 and dropping to P3. He eventually recovered to second, but his pace dropped in the final laps, as Norris was ordered by his team to coast over a possible fuel concern.
Meanwhile, Piastri started in seventh on the grid after contact with Liam Lawson in Turn 1. He finished P5 but initially moved up to fourth, following Kimi Antonelli’s five-second penalty due to a false start.
Another poor weekend for Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton left Sin City in a gloomy mood, as he had yet another rough weekend. His finish on Sunday was actually flattering, considering what he went through in the build-up to the race.
After retiring in Sao Paulo, Hamilton ended a difficult qualifying session at the very back of the grid, marking the first time that he has been the slowest on outright pace in his illustrious Formula 1 career. He became the first Ferrari driver to start from last on the grid since Giancarlo Fisichella in Abu Dhabi in 2009.
To his credit, the seven-time world champion gained positions during the Grand Prix, eventually settling for 10th, which became eighth because of McLaren’s double DQ. But overall, Hamilton’s first full season with Ferrari since his high-profile transfer from Mercedes has been underwhelming, and there are only three races left to salvage some pride.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc finished P4 for failing to leapfrog Kimi Antonelli, which he sees as a missed opportunity. After finishing first in FP1 and third in FP2, Leclerc couldn’t sustain his performance in the qualifying because of the low-grip conditions.
Bortoleto’s bad luck carried over
Gabriel Bortoleto was handed a five-place grid penalty in Qatar for his early collision with Lance Stroll, and the Brazilian driver was apologetic to the team after the incident.
The Kick Sauber driver qualified 18th during the changeable conditions on Saturday, putting him at a disadvantage heading into Sunday. During Turn 1, Bortoleto attempted a move on the inside of Stroll’s car, but he overshot the corner, causing terminal damage to the suspension of the AMR25. As a result, Bortoleto and Stroll retired prematurely.
Last time out in Sao Paulo, Bortoleto and Stroll also collided, but the latter was admittedly at fault. Before this, the Brazilian suffered a massive accident in Saturday’s Sprint, as he registered 57g during his crash in Turn 1, which he was able to walk away from unscathed.
In his rookie Formula 1 campaign, Bortoleto has claimed five points finishes, with his most recent one in Mexico.
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