Max Verstappen won the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix for Oracle Red Bull Racing on Saturday night, but the real story happened three hours after the race finished.
Race officials disqualified McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, after both their MCL39’s failed post-race inspection for excessively worn skid planks.
Norris — who won the previous two races (Mexico and Brazil) and started in Las Vegas from pole position — was the clear betting favorite going into the race. However, after he slid wide at Turn 1, Verstappen slipped past him and controlled the race from that point forward.
Norris’ and Piastri’s disqualifications dramatically reshape the F1 Drivers’ Championship picture. Instead of Norris extending his lead to 30 points over Piastri and 42 over Verstappen, he leaves Las Vegas only 24 points ahead of both rivals, who are now tied for second, 366–366.
With two Grand Prix races and a Sprint remaining, there are 58 points still available across Qatar (November 28-30) and Abu Dhabi (December 5-7), intensifying the title fight down the stretch.
What are Skid Planks?
Skid planks are pieces of reinforced wood that limit how much a racecar’s undercarriages can scrape against the track for safety reasons. Running them lower than allowed converts the excessive downforce produced by a racecar’s floor into an unfair aerodynamic advantage.
After each race, F1’s ruling body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), inspects all 20 cars, checking for things like fuel composition, tire pressure, oil consumption, torque control and skid plank thickness.
The FIA requires all skid planks to measure 10mm (±0.2mm) when new, with a minimum of 9 mm allowed due to wear. According to Sky Sports, Norris’ skid planks measured 8.88mm on the right front and 8.93 mm on the right rear, while Piastri’s measured 8.96mm on the left front, 8.75mm on the right front, and 8.9 mm on the right rear.
Here are the readjusted standings, which saw Kimi Antonelli, who initially finished fifth, promoted to the podium:
1. Max Verstappen
2. George Russell
3. Kimi Antonelli
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Isack Hadjar
7. Nico Hulkenberg
8. Lewis Hamilton
9. Esteban Ocon
10. Oliver Bearman
The post F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Finishes in Drama: Race Favorite Disqualified appeared first on Casino.org.
