Rule breach puts victorious Verstappen back in hunt

Max Verstappen swept to victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in dominant fashion, enough as he crossed the line to keep him just clinging on to hopes of retaining the world championship.

- Giles Richards

McLaren's Lando Norris was stripped of his second-place finish

But more than four hours after the race had concluded, the Dutchman found himself catapulted right back into the fight as the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified.

Norris had finished second and Piastri fourth, solid enough results to maintain an advantage over Verstappen, but two hours after the race the governing body, the FIA, announced it was investigating the wear on the skid blocks on their cars.

They were found to be worn down beyond the limits of the regulations, leading to a double disqualification, as the rules around skid wear, which ensure the cars run at the prescribed height, are hard and fast and there are almost no mitigating circumstances.

Verstappen, who had been 49 points behind Norris, is now 24 behind, the same deficit as Piastri, with two meetings remaining. Fifty-eight points remain on the table from the final two rounds in Qatar, which includes a sprint race, and Abu Dhabi. If Norris comes out of Doha with a 26-point lead he will seal the championship there.

As it stands, finishing in the points in front of Piastri and Verstappen in both races in Qatar would be enough for Norris but the Dutchman, extraordinarily, still has a shot at nicking the title from under McLaren's nose.