Norris suffered a fatal relapse0.07 millimeters plunged McLaren into Formula 1 disaster
The Las Vegas Grand Prix ended in disaster for world championship leader Lando Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Both were disqualified for violating Formula 1 technical regulations. This benefited race winner Max Verstappen.
Millimeter Drama overhauled its cards: 007 is the focus in Las Vegas, and that’s by no means the next James Bond film. No, the measurements on the underbody of Lando Norris’ McLaren deviate slightly from the norm by 0.07 millimeters. Instead of the minimum thickness of 9.00 millimeters, what was measured was 8.93. Instead of another podium finish and 18 more championship points, Norris was disqualified. There were also differences with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, and the Australian driver was also excluded from the rankings.
Max Verstappen returns to racing: Not only did the world champion win with impressive aplomb, but as a result of McLaren’s disqualification, his chances of winning a fifth consecutive world title also increased greatly. He is 24 points behind – or in other words: with another win and a zero from Norris, Verstappen would be the championship leader.
Norris has had relapses in the past: Norris could do nothing about the damage to the underbody of his car, for which he was ultimately penalized. But the Englishman could be annoyed with himself. The way he lost the lead after starting from pole position reminded us of the old days when people would always make fun of Norris’ nervousness. While trying to block Verstappen, Norris lost his way and failed to reach the first corner. The result: He lost his lead and slipped to third place. Even though he tried to retreat to the front, he was unable to harm Verstappen. Norris knows that he cannot match Verstappen when it comes to equal opportunities. He will have to hope his McLaren is better than Verstappen’s Red Bull in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Kimi Antonelli shines in the shadows of great joy: In the midst of the excitement of the World Cup match, the extraordinary performance of the young Mercedes star was almost lost. The Italian racer only started the race from 17th position, receiving a five-second penalty for a false start and finishing third (also due to McLaren’s disqualification). Toto Wolff considered him “very successful,” and Mercedes motorsport boss praised him: “He managed to set the fastest time in the end. He did a good job.”
At Ferrari the atmosphere is still in the basement: A close finish with fourth place for Charles Leclerc and eighth for Lewis Hamilton looked OK, but there was absolutely no feeling of optimism at the Scuderia. “I feel terrible, this is the worst season I’ve ever had,” Hamilton said. Some experts have predicted that the record world champion’s career will end.
View: It is difficult to predict who will ultimately become world champion. It looked like it was a duel between Verstappen and Norris – his form was clearly against Piastri. Like Verstappen, the Australian is only 24 points behind, but he has been weeks behind his rivals in winning the title. Conditions in Qatar and Abu Dhabi should be more suitable for McLaren than in Las Vegas, but what does that mean? Verstappen’s top-class driving skills are known to everyone; it’s all about nerves and concentration. Every mistake is serious.
