McLaren's Lando Norris has broken his silence after a devastating disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered a massive blow to his Formula 1 World Championship hopes.
A Costly Technical Breach
The British driver, who had originally finished the race in a stellar second place behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen, was stripped of his result alongside teammate Oscar Piastri. The FIA stewards made the decision after both McLaren cars were found to have breached the sport's technical regulations.
The infringement was related to the thickness of the skid block on the floor of the car, a critical component governed by strict F1 rules. This discovery led to the immediate disqualification of Norris from his runner-up position and Piastri from his fourth-place finish.
Norris Reacts to the Setback
Norris, who is chasing his first-ever F1 world title, did not hide his disappointment. ‘A frustrating end to today,’ the McLaren star stated following the official ruling.
He elaborated on the issues faced during the race, explaining, ‘We had to do some managing towards the end of the race and now we know it was due to some issues on our car, which have unfortunately resulted in us being disqualified.’
The consequence of this ruling is severe. Norris loses the 18 points he earned for his P2 finish, dramatically altering the championship landscape. Before the disqualification, he held a 42-point lead over Verstappen with only 58 points remaining available in the final races.
Looking Ahead to Qatar
Despite the frustration, Norris is already shifting his focus to the next challenge. ‘It’s frustrating to lose so many points,’ he admitted. ‘As a team, we’re always pushing to find as much performance as we can, and we clearly didn’t get that balance right today.’
Demonstrating a resilient mindset, he concluded, ‘Nothing I can do will change that now, instead full focus switches to Qatar, where we’ll aim to go out and deliver the best possible performance in every session.’ The F1 circus now moves to the Qatar Grand Prix, where the title fight will reach its critical climax.
