First place finisher Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands celebrates with his trophy after the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Nick Didlick)

LAS VEGAS — A fifth consecutive Formula 1 championship is within Max Verstappen’s reach following the disqualifications of contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after Saturday night’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Verstappen won the event for the second time in three years to close the gap on Norris to just 42 points with two races remaining. But three hours after the race concluded, the FIA summoned McLaren to see the stewards for failing inspection.

The measured thickness on the skid wear on the McLarens failed to meet the minimum thickness requirements. Skid wear is the wear on the protective plank on the underside of the cars, and Lewis Hamilton was disqualified for the same infraction earlier this year.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the infraction stemmed from the cars bottoming out during the race at levels they did not do during practice — leading to excessive contact with the ground. Stella said the damage to both cars was “accidental” and that “the FIA noted the breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed.”

He also apologized to Norris and Piastri.

“We apologize 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,” Stella said. “While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season.”

The DQ’s made for a wild swing in the standings as both Norris and Piastri were stripped of all points earned in Las Vegas. Norris went from 30 points up on Piastri and 42 points up on Verstappen to just 24 points up on Verstappen and Piastri, who holds the tie-breaker for second in the standings based on his win total.

Verstappen has won the last two races in Qatar, where F1 races next week, and four of the last five at Abu Dhabi, where the season will end Dec. 7.

It’s an incredible comeback for the Dutchman, who seemed out of contention over the summer. Even after winning Las Vegas for the second time in three years, Verstappen wasn’t thinking about the championship.

“I mean, it’s still a big gap. But, you know, we always try to just maximize everything that we’ve got,” he said three hours before the McLarens were called to see the FIA. ” This weekend, that was first. The upcoming weekends we’ll again try to win the race. And at the end of Abu Dhabi, we’ll see where we end up.”

Verstappen was by far the biggest winner in Las Vegas, an event he hated before he’d ever turned in a lap. He won for the second time in four races, second time in three years of the Las Vegas Grand Prix as the four-time reigning Formula 1 champion continued to claw his way back into the title picture.