McLaren screw-up leaves Norris's title dream in peril

Championship leader's Las Vegas GP disqualification hurls Max Verstappen back into contention

- Kieran Jackson

The first sign that something was amiss, under the bamboozling lightshow that is the Las Vegas strip, came in the final three laps. Out of nowhere, why was Lando Norris's pace dropping off at a rate of knots? Safely in second place, seven seconds behind the race leader, Norris eventually finished 23 seconds off Max Verstappen. Now, we know why.

Norris’s shock disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, announced just after 1.30am local time, has handed his F1 title rivals the biggest of reprieves. Ironically, the double McLaren DSQ - with Oscar Piastri’s race result wiped out for the same reason, excessive plank wear on the car - is a much-needed saving grace for the Australian. His deficit was 30 points; now it’s back to the original 24 points.

But by a country mile the biggest beneficiary is Verstappen: a man and a driver whose refusal to surrender has breathed new life into this helter-skelter title fight. A terrific win from second on the grid in Vegas, coupled with nada on the points tally for the McLaren pair, means he is now level on points with Piastri - a man he was 104 points short of as recently as seven races ago.

No doubt, it will be the irrepressible Dutchman chasing a fifth consecutive title who Norris seriously fears now, as opposed to teammate Piastri.