The double disqualification for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris is actually a good result for the Aussie F1 star, as it means he’s not as far behind his McLaren teammate than if the original results had stood. Norris originally finished second in Las Vegas, with Piastri back in fourth.
Had that result stood, Piastri would have been 30 points behind Norris in the championship battle. But with both McLaren drivers disqualified, it means Piastri is back to being just 24 points behind.
It’s horrible news for McLaren as it means Max Verstappen – who won the Vegas grand prix – is also now just 24 points behind Norris and level with Piastri. But from a purely personal point of view, it’s actually a better result for Piastri than what it would have been.
Oscar Piastri (R) looked fairly upbeat after meeting with stewards, with Max Verstappen (second from left) now level with the Aussie and just 24 points behind Lando Norris (far left. Image: Getty/Supplied
Piastri and Norris were both disqualified after the race because their cars were found to be in breach of technical regulations. The skid blocks on both cars were found to be less than the minimum 9mm depth allowed by the rules, and the stewards had no choice but to disqualify them.
Tellingly, Piastri was spotted looking fairly positive as he left a meeting with stewards alongside manager Mark Webber. The Aussie even cracked a smile despite walking away with no points to continue a poor run of form.
Oscar Piastri responds after Las Vegas disqualification
He said in a brief comment: “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.”
Max Verstappen is now within striking distance of Lando Norris after winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)
Norris described it as “frustrating to lose so many points”, adding in the statement: “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.”
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McLaren issues apology to both drivers
McLaren principal Andrea Stella said in a statement: “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. While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season.”
Piastri was 34 points clear of Norris and a massive 104 points ahead of Verstappen after his victory at the Dutch Grand Prix in August. He’s now facing the prospect of being overtaken by Verstappen and not even finishing runner-up in the championship.
But there’s no doubt he’d prefer to be 24 points behind Norris rather than 30. It leaves the door ajar for the Aussie to make one final surge with two races remaining, and hope disaster strikes for Norris and Verstappen.
Interestingly, he’s believed to have a clause in his contract that prevents McLaren from ordering him to yield to Norris so long as they’re both still in the championship hunt. That’s what makes Sunday’s double disqualification so important for Piastri, with a race win is worth 25 points and he’s now still within that buffer.