Oscar Piastri’s actions following the Las Vegas Grand Prix have got fans talking online after he and Lando Norris were both disqualified from the Sin City race.
Max Verstappen claimed pole position on the Vegas strip, taking advantage of a slip-up by Norris – who recovered well to finish second ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell – the last man on the podium.
However, disaster struck for both McLaren drivers as they were hit with a double disqualification.
It emerged that the pair had excessive skid block wear on their cars. And as was the case when Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were involved in a carbon-copy situation in this season’s Chinese GP, the FIA punished both Norris and Piastri following an investigation.
The FIA statement read: “The Stewards heard from the Team Principal, Team Sporting Director and Technical Director of McLaren Formula 1 Team, the FIA Single Seater Director, the FIA Single Seater Technical Director and the FIA Technical Delegate.
“The rear skids of Car 4 were measured and found to be below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations. The relevant measurements were RHS Front 8.88mm, RHS Rear 8.93mm. The measuring device was a Mitutoyo Micrometre purchased in May 2025, and according to the manufacturer’s specifications, accurate to within 0.001 mm.
“The rear skids were re-measured in the presence of the Stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and those measurements confirmed that the skids did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those measured originally by the Technical Delegate.
“Accordingly the Stewards determine that a breach of the Technical Regulations have occurred.”
The race result for the Las Vegas GP was amended. Image: Getty
The decision changed the whole picture in the Vegas standings, as well as the overall rankings – with Kimi Antonelli joining Russell on the podium and Haas pair Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman securing points.
In an unusual scenario, Piastri has actually benefited from the disqualification as he is no better or worse off than when the weekend began, with a further two races remaining in the F1 calendar.
And he appeared to be in good spirits when he was captured on camera post-race.
oscar is smiling bro 😭😭😭
(lowkey he will actually be helped by the dsq cause the gap had extended today) pic.twitter.com/EpR2cmpHS6
— clara (@leclercsletters) November 23, 2025
One fan on X wrote: “That smile says it all.”
A second said: “He’s just so whimsical like .”
A third commented: “I love this oscar evil arc.”
Updated Las Vegas Grand Prix Top 10
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- George Russell (Mercedes AMG)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes AMG)
- Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Nico Hulkenberg (KICK Sauber)
- Lewis Hamilton (Scuderia Ferrari)
- Esteban Ocon (HAAS)
- Ollie Bearman (HAAS)
Piastri had finished fourth before disqualification. Image: Getty
Norris lost out on the 18 points he scored for coming second, with Piastri’s 12 taken off him. The disqualification has added another plot twist to a title race that is hotting up, with Norris 24 points clear of Piastri and Verstappen, who are both tied on 266 after the Dutchman’s big win under the lights.
Having previously looked like a foregone conclusion for a McLaren win, Verstappen is now well in contention to claim a fifth consecutive triumph – with all eyes on the Qatar Grand Prix next week.
