The Formula One title battle has been given a thrilling lease of life after the disqualification of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Hours after the race finished, both McLaren cars were kicked out for excessive plank wear, with the skid blocks below the minimum thickness, meaning Norris lost his points for second place and Piastri for his fourth spot.
The implications are significant, with race winner Max Verstappen benefiting the most from this decision.
Instead of leading Piastri by 30 points and Verstappen by 42, Norris now leads both rivals by just 24 points going into next weekend's Qatar GP. Verstappen moves up to joint-second with Piastri (the Australian stays ahead on win countback).
With 58 points left across the Qatar sprint, main race and the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi finale, this becomes a full three-way showdown and makes for a potentially dramatic finale at Yas Marina Circuit.
Norris: Championship leader drops to 390 points
Championship lead after DSQ: 24 points
After the confirmed double disqualification from Las Vegas, Norris’s title route has changed dramatically. His lead over both Piastri and Verstappen is now just 24 points, with 58 points left on the table across Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
After the Qatar sprint, both Piastri and Verstappen must still be within 50 points of Norris to stay in mathematical contention. Therefore, with only eight points available in the sprint, Norris cannot seal the title on Saturday.
Across the full Qatar weekend, there are 33 points on offer: eight in the sprint and 25 in the grand prix. That means the earliest Norris can win the championship is in the main race on Sunday, November 30.
To become world champion next weekend, Norris must finish the weekend with a lead of more than 25 points over both Piastri and Verstappen.
In practical terms, he needs to outscore whichever rival scores the most in Qatar by at least two points. If he does not achieve that, the title fight will continue to Abu Dhabi.
Piastri and Verstappen: Both in second place level on 366 points
To stay in the title fight after Qatar, both Piastri and Verstappen must remain within 25 points of Norris. If the gap becomes 26 or more, Norris is champion.
Verstappen hugely benefits from the double disqualification. His deficit shrinks from 42 to 24, dragging him back into contention.
Bottom line
As the disqualifications are now confirmed, Norris’s comfortable cushion evaporates.
A three-man title fight becomes fully alive again, but Norris can still clinch it early if he ends the Qatar GP with a championship lead greater than 25 points.
Anything less, and the title goes to a final-round showdown in Abu Dhabi.
