The Vegas DQ: The Plank That Blew the Championship Wide Open

Well, as promised, this is my second blog of the day. I could not accurately discuss the McLaren double disqualification in the general race summary I write at the end of each race, as this is a devastating blow that has violently reshaped the 2025 World Drivers' Championship.

The Technical Truth: Below the 9mm Limit:

• The Rule: FIA regulations stipulate that the skid block must maintain a minimum thickness of 9mm. This rule is crucial as it ensures cars maintain the mandated ride height, preventing them from running too low and gaining an illegal aerodynamic advantage.

• The Breach: Post-race scrutineering found that the rearmost skid block on both Lando Norris (who finished second) and Oscar Piastri (who finished fourth) was worn down below this minimum thickness.

The Catastrophic Championship Shift:

• Lando Norris still leads the standings with 390 points.

• Oscar Piastri is now level on points with Max Verstappen, both sitting at 366 points—a massive swing for the Red Bull driver.

The Aftermath: Apologies and Focus: The disqualification was due to a breach of a precise, non-negotiable technical regulation regarding the skid block (or 'plank') on the cars' floors. In fact, Simon in the office mentioned he saw Landos' car sparking more than any other car.

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella immediately explained that the infraction was the result of unforeseen and excessive porpoising and floor damage sustained during the race, conditions not replicated in practice sessions.

The FIA acknowledged that the breach was unintentional. Still, the rule is hard and fast: a failure to meet the minimum measurement results in automatic exclusion, consistent with other disqualifications imposed on Suaber and Ferrari over the season and thems the rules.

The loss of 30 crucial points (18 for Norris, 12 for Piastri) has blown the title fight wide open with just two meetings remaining (Qatar, which includes a Sprint, and Abu Dhabi, offering a total of 58 points).

Verstappen, who won the race flawlessly, has seen his deficit to Norris slashed from 49 points to just 24 points. This is the "sniff of a shot" he has craved, and the entire momentum has now shifted from the Papaya garage to the relentless Red Bull attack.

Both Norris and Piastri expressed their frustration, with Norris stating, "It's frustrating to lose so many points.

We clearly didn't get that balance right today." While many people are vocally angry about the drop in form of Oscar for me, Oscar Piastri lost this championship in Baku in a bizarre crash during a yellow-flag restart. 

You must remember this as the ultimate turning point, which opened the back door for Lando to get on with it and see the light he needed. Could this be the same back door opened for Max Verstappen to win his fifth title and snatch it from the McLarens?

This extraordinary turn of events in Las Vegas will be the "white whale" that haunts McLaren's papaya dreams if Verstappen manages to pull off the unlikeliest comeback of them all, which may echo Liverpool FC's back in Istanbul at the 2005 UEFA Champions League final. My point here is that these unbelievable things can happen in sport.

And as always, when the lights go out and the drama unfolds, here at Senate Grand Prix, there is only one winner, and that's you, the race fans!