One of these three will be disqualified just hours later (F1 Twitter)
It’s not a good weekend to be a McLaren fan, is it? The weekend started strong for the papaya team, with their golden boy Lando Norris securing his third consecutive pole position. With teammate Oscar Piastri in P5, it seemed like a prime time for the two to extend their lead over Red Bull Racing (and constant McLaren nightmare), Max Verstappen.
But then, the FIA race stewards did their job for once. A post-race scrutinizing quite literally pulled the floor out from under McLaren. The plank on both of the team’s cars, the skid block that makes sure you don’t slam the car into the asphalt, measured at under the legal 9 mm minimum. And unlike changing your car’s power units under parc fermé conditions or taking a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox swap, this isn’t something you can bounce back from. You either pass or you fail, and both McLarens failed.
The disqualification heard around the world
While a points-less weekend is never good, it’s not the end of the world for the team. The title race might now be at a position where Max can walk out with a fifth title if Lando continues to experience bad luck. Still, the math is now simpler: if he outscores both Oscar and Max by two or more points next week, Lando will lock in the title before Abu Dhabi.
Speaking of the title, incumbent World Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen did what a cornered animal does— take the first opportunity to pounce and get the upper hand. The Dutchman’s Vegas drive was tactical and ruthless, quickly taking the lead over Lando after the latter ran wide at turn 1. From there, he maintained pace, avoided mistakes, and converted the opportunity into a dominant victory.
It feels weird to not have much to say about Max’s driving this time around, but he delivered a clean race. No theatrics, no elbows-out lunges, no psychological warfare on the radio. But the racing isn’t the story here; it’s the vacuum he exploited. McLaren handed him an opening, and he took it. He didn’t need brilliance; he needed discipline, and he delivered exactly that.
A simply lovely drive from Max (Red Bull Racing Twitter)
Taking over second from Lando is Mercedes’ George Russell. The Brit’s driving might not be flamboyant, but it is certainly effective. George also took advantage of Lando’s wide turn at the beginning to hold second place for about 14 laps. His driving was just as smooth as Max’s, keeping clear of major incidents and managing his pace.
But his weekend wasn’t without challenge. He admitted the closing laps weren’t smooth, citing concerns over a late-race pace drop-off. But despite that (and some challenges with his steering wheel during qualifying), he kept his car in clean air and maximized what he was capable of.
(Does nothing) (P2) (Mercedes Twitter)
In third place now is George’s teammate, rookie Kimi Antonelli. The Italian started all the way in the back at P17, but he managed to pull the same thing Max did back in Brazil, climbing his way through the other drivers. Midway through the race, he was inside the top 10. By lap 30, he was firmly in contention for a podium.
Even though he received a five-second penalty for a false start, it ultimately didn’t stop him from claiming the final spot on the podium once the post-race reshuffle kicked in. And it goes to show that the rookie has a lot of potential. This is Kimi’s second consecutive podium as we reach the end of the season and it’s a clear sign Mercedes has a rising threat already delivering under pressure.
There are no photos of Kimi on the podium, so we’ll have to make do with this graphic (F1 Twitter)
The Vegas race as a whole is fascinating to me. It never hands you a clean race, but the racing always seems to take a backseat to the celebrity and influencer action on official F1 social media. It’s a conveyor belt of red carpets and sponsorships, with half the grid getting eclipsed by whichever A-lister Liberty drags into the pit lane. It’s chaotic, but the narrative machine smothers it under the glitz and glamor.
Here’s to hoping that changes one day.
Miscellaneous Notes
As always, my other random thoughts and observations that didn’t make it into the main piece:
The McLaren McDrama wasn’t limited to the track. Oscar’s Instagram account was caught reposting a quote suggesting McLaren favors his teammate. He says he has no idea how it got there. Maybe someone who manages his social media got a little too trigger-happy? Who knows?
Collision damage, squared. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll didn’t even get an entire lap in before having to retire when Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto slammed into him. Halfway through the race, Williams’ Alex Albon would also retire after colliding with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Ouch!
Speaking of Lewis… the seven-time World Champion managed to turn a P19 start into a points-scoring P8. The dude’s still got some fight in him, I think.
Sayonara, Yuki Tsunoda. Max’s teammate finished in P12 after getting knocked out in the first round of qualifying. While Red Bull continues to apologize for his lackluster performance, it’s getting more obvious he won’t be returning to the grid next season. He’s still the underdog in my heart, though.
And one more thing, on a personal note. We only have two race weekends left this season, with one sprint and two grands prix. I already have some ideas of what I want to write about during the downtime, but I want to hear from y’all. What do YOU want to see me write about?
Let me know in the comments; I’ll see you next week in Qatar.
-F