The time lost by Lando Norris was clearly visible in the data: his last lap was nearly twenty seconds slower than the pace he had maintained up until that point. For several seconds, the McLaren driver was running at an unusual speed, almost like a cool-down lap, with no apparent mechanical issues visible on the car.
Did Lando Norris avoid disqualification at Las Vegas?
The theory gaining traction in the immediate post-race hours concerns a possible attempt by McLaren to avoid a technical disqualification. Formula 1 regulations require that at the end of the race it must be possible to extract at least one liter of fuel from the car for FIA checks. If the fuel level is below this, the penalty is almost always immediate disqualification.
Norris’s sudden slowdown may therefore have been a deliberate effort to minimize fuel consumption on the final lap and avoid dropping below the minimum required level.
This is an extreme strategy but not unprecedented in F1 history, used in critical situations to protect a result. In this scenario, McLaren may have decided to safeguard second place rather than risk the complete disqualification of car number 4.
There are also alternative explanations, currently unconfirmed: a forced lift-and-coast to prevent potential brake failure, or internal warnings related to temperature or vehicle parameters. However, none of these fully justify such a dramatic drop in pace over a single lap, enough to endanger the result.
The loss of time allowed George Russell to close in impressively. Only a few seconds separated the Mercedes driver from a historic last-lap overtake. Despite this, Norris managed to hold his position and finish second behind Verstappen.
McLaren has not yet provided an official explanation. The FIA will need to verify fuel levels and the car’s final parameters. If the theory of critical fuel consumption is confirmed, Norris’s maneuver would be a true strategic move, carefully calculated to avoid a certain disqualification.
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