The 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered high drama both on and off the Strip. Max Verstappen dominated the race itself, but the weekend’s biggest development came after the chequered flag when both McLaren cars were disqualified for a technical infringement, reshaping the Drivers’ Championship with two rounds to go.
Post-race disqualifications swing championship battle
Lando Norris had taken pole, finished second on the road and looked to have limited the damage to his lead. Oscar Piastri had been fourth. But post-race scrutineering found the rearmost skid blocks on both McLarens worn below the mandatory 9mm thickness. Following hearings, both Norris and Piastri were disqualified and lost the points they had scored in Las Vegas.
Before the disqualifications Norris led the standings on 408 points (30 clear of Piastri and 42 ahead of Verstappen). The DSQs cut him back to 390, leaving Norris 24 points clear of both Piastri and Verstappen, who are now level on 366 points. With only two rounds remaining, the title fight has tightened significantly and Norris will head to Qatar under considerably more pressure.
Verstappen’s commanding performance
On track Verstappen produced a clinical drive. He seized the lead early after Norris ran wide at Turn 1 while defending, then controlled the race from the front. Verstappen stretched his advantage through the stints and crossed the line roughly 20 seconds clear of the next car, underlining his pace around the Las Vegas street circuit. The victory boosted his late-season charge and, after the McLaren penalties, closed the gap in the standings.
Mercedes recovery and Antonelli’s rise
George Russell, who won in Las Vegas last year, ran as high as second early on and stayed within DRS range of Verstappen at times, but a steering issue that reappeared after qualifying and tyre graining in the second stint curtailed his challenge. Russell recovered well and, once the McLaren DSQs were applied, moved up the order in the final classification.
Team mate Kimi Antonelli delivered one of the weekend’s standout drives. Starting P17 on the soft tyre, he stopped early for hards and carved his way through the field. A five-second penalty for a jump start initially cost him positions, but with McLaren’s disqualification applied he was elevated onto the podium — a reward for bold strategy and strong racecraft from the young Italian.
Ferrari and rivals fight back
Ferrari endured a tricky qualifying period in the wet, leaving Charles Leclerc down in P9, but both Ferrari drivers fought forward in the dry race. Leclerc made several early overtakes and recovered to finish sixth on the road; after the post-race penalties were applied he ended the night only a tenth short of the final podium position. Separately, Lewis Hamilton suffered a very poor qualifying (P20) for his team but rallied on race day to score points, calling the weekend “horrendous” while salvaging something from a difficult start.
F1 Academy: Pin seals the title
The F1 Academy title was decided in Las Vegas as Doriane Pin clinched the championship. Pin, who started the weekend nine points clear of Maya Weug, won the rain-affected opening race and followed that with a fifth-place finish in the final race — enough to secure the title by 15 points after Weug’s formation-lap crash in Race 1 damaged her chances. Pin’s campaign, coming after a runner-up finish last year, confirmed her as a rising talent.
Vegas spectacle: glitz and controversy
Beyond the on-track action, Las Vegas delivered its usual spectacle. The podium presentation included a pink Lego Cadillac driven by Terry Crews to ferry Verstappen, a fountain display featuring Mickey Mouse, and a celebrity turnout that included Beyoncé and Jay‑Z, Cynthia Erivo, Sam Worthington, Mark Wahlberg and Ben Affleck. The weekend combined big‑name glitz with intense racing drama and a controversial post-race ruling that has significantly reshaped the championship fight heading into the final rounds.