EXPLAINED: All you need to know about Norris and Piastri’s disqualifications – and the fine margins involved

Drama swept through the F1 paddock following Saturday night’s Las Vegas Grand Prix when news came in that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had been disqualified for technical breaches. But which rule did their cars break? What were the key details? And how did their McLaren team react to the news?

Why were the McLarens disqualified?

Norris and Piastri finished second and fourth at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, but both drivers were summoned by the stewards shortly after the chequered flag had dropped due to alleged breaches of Article 3.5.9 e) of the Technical Regulations – relating to skid block thickness.

Simply put, when the skid wear on their respective cars was checked, in accordance with the Technical Directive TD039, the rear skids were found to be marginally below the minimum required thickness of 9mm.

The relevant measurements on Norris’ car were 8.88mm at the right-hand side front and 8.93mm at the right-hand side rear, while for Piastri, they were 8.96mm at the left-hand side front, 8.74mm at the right-hand side front and 8.90mm at the right-hand side rear.

The FIA noted that they used a Mitutoyo Micrometre measuring device, purchased in May 2025, which as per the manufacturer’s specifications is accurate to within 0.001mm.

Given the apparent violations, the matter was referred to the stewards by FIA F1 Technical Delegate Jo Bauer.

What happened during the stewards’ hearings?

According to the stewards’ decision documents, which confirmed the pair of disqualifications, McLaren argued that there were “mitigating circumstances” surrounding the excessive skid block wear “in that there was additional and unexpected porpoising at this event, limited opportunity to test due to the weather on Day 1, and shortened practice sessions”.

“Further, the team submitted that the degree of the breach was lower than prior breaches of this regulation in 2025.”

However, in response, the FIA argued that “unfortunately there was no provision in the regulations or in precedent for any penalty other than the usual penalty (i.e. disqualification).

“The FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the breach was unintentional and that there was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations. The stewards also note the various decisions of the FIA International Court of Appeal which limit the ability to avoid disqualification for technical breaches.

“Notwithstanding the submission by the team that there was potentially accidental damage that may have led to movement of the floor which could have caused additional wear, the stewards do not consider this sufficient to mitigate the penalty.”

How did McLaren react to the news?

Once the stewards’ decisions and explanations had landed, McLaren issued their own statement to insist that the breaches were “unintentional” with “no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations”, while apologising to Norris and Piastri for the points lost.

“During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground,” said Team Principal Andrea Stella.

“We are investigating the reasons for this behaviour of the car, including the effect of accidental damage sustained by both cars, which we found after the race, and that led to an increase of movement of the floor.

“As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed.

“We apologise to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points today, at a critical time in their championship campaigns after two strong performances from them all weekend. As a team, we also apologise to our partners and fans, whose support means so much.

“While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season.”

What about Norris and Piastri?

Before the disqualifications, Norris found himself 30 points up on team mate Piastri and 42 ahead of Red Bull rival Max Verstappen (who won the Las Vegas race) with two rounds to go. Now, however, he is a reduced 24 points clear of Piastri and Verstappen, who are equal on points.

“A frustrating end to today,” said Norris after losing his podium. “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.

“It’s frustrating to lose so many points. 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.

“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.”

Piastri added: “Disappointing to come away from this weekend with no points after an unfortunate disqualification due to skid wear.

“With how close the grid is, we’re always looking at where we can gain performance, and we didn’t get it right this time.

“We now need to reset, refocus and push to get the best points possible in the final two rounds, both tracks that we’ve been strong at previously.”