Verstappen Wins Las Vegas Grand Prix as McLaren Faces Disqualification
Las Vegas, Nevada – Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing secured victory at the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand prix on Saturday, finishing 20.741 seconds ahead of Lando Norris. The race unfolded under sunny conditions, a stark contrast to the rainy qualifying session where norris had taken pole position. George Russell of Mercedes completed the podium, finishing 23.546 seconds behind Verstappen.
The top ten finishers initially included Oscar Piastri (McLaren, +27.650), Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes, +30.488), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, +30.678), Carlos Sainz (Williams, +34.924), Isak Ajar (Racing Bulls, +45.257), Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber, +51.134), adn Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari, +59.369).
However, post-race inspection revealed that both McLaren cars of norris and Piastri were found to have floor plate thicknesses below the minimum allowable regulations, leading to their disqualification. As an inevitable result, Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman were elevated to ninth and tenth place respectively.
Prior to the disqualification, Norris had been fastest in the second and third practice sessions, while Leclerc topped the times in the first. Despite the setback, Norris maintains the lead in the overall driver standings with 390 points, 24 points ahead of Piastri and Verstappen.
McLaren has already clinched the Constructors’ Cup title this season. The F1 championship consists of 24 stages. Last year, Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive championship title, while McLaren won the Constructors’ Cup.