A big bang after the Formula 1 race in Las Vegas: World Championship leader Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, second in the ranking, are threatened with subsequent disqualification.
As a measurement after the race showed, the floor panels on both Formula 1 cars are thinner than the required 9 millimeters.
The matter was handed over to the race stewards by the technical delegate. Lewis Hamilton was disqualified in China this year for such a violation of the rules on his Ferrari.
If this happens now, it would have a dramatic impact on the title fight, because: Norris took second place in Las Vegas and thereby massively increased his chances of celebrating his first title win in Qatar next Sunday.
Video: Steiner: Max “outstanding”, Norris “not happy”
Formula 1: This is the current status in the drivers’ standings
The Brit currently leads the World Cup standings with 408 points. Second, 30 points behind, is the out-of-form Piastri, fourth in Las Vegas. Max Verstappen follows in third place in the Red Bull. The defending champion won the third-to-last Grand Prix, but still has 42 points less than Norris.
If the two McLaren drivers were actually removed from the race classification, Verstappen would be level on points with Piastri and only 24 points behind Norris.
A maximum of 58 points are still up for grabs for a driver over the next two Grand Prix weekends.
Norris spoke of a “good result” – but for how long?
After the race, Norris appeared somewhat satisfied with his performance on “Sky”.
“I had a good run, the pace was good. Max simply drove a great race. We were fast, I just made that mistake in the first corner. I was just too motivated, sometimes you pay for it. Still a good result, still good points. I’m not too disappointed,” was the World Championship leader’s first analysis.
If he were to be disqualified now, his conclusion would likely be much less positive.