McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri disqualified from Las Vegas GP

Formula 1 has been rocked as the championship race was blown wide open in four hours of chaos following the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have been sensationally disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix in a mammoth late twist to the Formula One title race.

More than four hours after Norris crossed the line behind Max Verstappen on the Sin City street circuit, F1 stewards confirmed the two McLaren drivers had been disqualified and stripped of their championship points.

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The team communicated to journalists that Piastri and Norris would speak publicly following the marathon inquiry, but with the ruling only being confirmed well after midnight local time, the team issued a brief statement instead.

The team has also made a public apology to its two drivers with Verstappen now breathing down Norris’ neck in the drivers’ championship fight.

Both McLaren drivers were sensationally disqualified. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

McLaren’s team 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.

“During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground.

“We are investigating the reasons for this behaviour of the car, including the effect of accidental damage sustained by both cars, which we found after the race, and that led to an increase of movement of the floor.

“As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional.”

Norris had one hand on the championship trophy before the bombshell dropped as he cruised to finish in second position without putting race-winner Verstappen under any pressure.

With Piastri finishing P4, Norris had a 30-point lead heading into the final two race weekends of the season.

Verstappen and Piastri are now equal on points, 24 behind the British driver.

As chaos unfolded in the paddock after the race, it was initially reported Norris was under investigation for a fuel shortage issue after limping across the finish line.

However, in a shock development, the FIA summoned both Norris and Piastri over a skid block plank wear breach.

Oscar Piastri's car scraping the track on Lap 16. Photo: Reddit, Formula 1.

Under F1 rules, any more than a 1mm wear from the 1cm plank results in a disqualification.

In layman’s terms, cars aren’t allowed to run that low to the ground. F1 cars are designed to run low to the ground to improve downforce that allows for superior performance and grip through corners.

Norris, 26, responded to the disqualification by saying: “It’s frustrating to lose so many points.

“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.”

Piastri said it had been “disappointing” to leave Vegas empty-handed.

“We’re always looking at where we can gain performance, and we didn’t get it right this time,” said the Australian.

“We now need to reset, refocus and push to get the best points possible in the final two rounds.”

A maximum 58 championship points are available in the final two race weekends of the season.

Norris can win the title at the Qatar Grand Prix, beginning Friday, if he earns two more points than both Verstappen and Piastri over the course of the weekend, which includes a sprint race.

Read on below for all the drama that unfolded in Vegas.

Originally published as McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri disqualified from Las Vegas GP