The McLaren disqualification in Las Vegas has reopened the fight for the 2025 F1 World Championship. Lando Norris still holds a points advantage over Max Verstappen, but now only by 24 points. It will be the ultimate test of his mental resilience after his impressive recovery in the standings during the second half of the season.
When the FIA officially excluded the two McLaren cars from the Las Vegas Grand Prix classification, much of the team staff was already en route to the international airport just a few kilometers from the circuit. The tenth-of-a-millimeter plank infringement that led to the exclusion of the two MCL39s dramatically altered the scenario awaiting the three title contenders at the Losail circuit. Norris will arrive in Qatar with a solid lead in the championship (+24 points over Verstappen and Piastri), a margin that could allow him to play a defensive strategy without needing to win.
However, something has changed, and it is not a minor issue in a championship showdown. Before the Las Vegas setback, Lando Norris enjoyed a 30-point margin over his teammate, and especially a 42-point cushion over Max Verstappen. In other words, Lando could have gone to Yas Marina as the championship leader even if he made mistakes in both the sprint and the main race. That certainty no longer exists. Norris could still close the championship in Qatar, but at the same time, there is the risk of arriving in Abu Dhabi as the pursuer.
This will be the definitive test for Lando’s mental fortitude, as he now has to rebuild the safety margin that, after the Brazilian Grand Prix, seemed to shield him from Verstappen’s attacks. For Max, the scenario is perfect: the pressure for a title contender is nearly zero, partly because he is accustomed to such situations, but mainly because two months ago he had effectively closed the book on the 2025 championship. He reaffirmed this even after his Las Vegas victory, before learning of the McLaren disqualification: “We’ll see what happens in the last two races, we have nothing to lose.”
Indeed, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have little to lose. On August 31, after the Dutch Grand Prix, Max was 104 points behind the championship leader at the time, Oscar Piastri, now second in the standings. Of the 70 points that separated him from Norris, only 24 remain. Next week at Losail, Verstappen and Red Bull will face a very difficult challenge; of all the circuits on the calendar, Losail is considered the most favorable to McLaren’s characteristics, a fact openly acknowledged by Andrea Stella.
What Verstappen can do is apply pressure on the McLaren duo – his main strength. A preview of this was evident at the Las Vegas start, where Lando Norris (who had a better start than Max) was forced into a mistake. This is Verstappen’s key card, though perhaps not the only one. Following the McLaren disqualification, some insiders have speculated that the shocking technical error could prompt the team to adopt a more cautious approach in the last two weekends of the season. This hypothesis will be answered in just a few days.
There is one final subplot Andrea Stella and Zak Brown will be weighing up. With Verstappen now the direct mathematical threat, Norris is clearly McLaren’s nominated number one. Should the race unfold in a certain way in Qatar or Abu Dhabi, the team may not hesitate to ask Oscar Piastri to lend a hand if the opportunity arises – a scenario that simply didn’t exist 24 hours ago.
The 2025 title fight is well and truly alive again.
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