Heartbreak for the McLaren Formula 1 team as Vegas Grand Prix sees both drivers disqualified
McLaren seemed to have the 2025 season in full control, having won the Constructors Championship in the 16th round of the season at Singapore.
However, despite the domination that they had over the start of the season, it appears they are beginning to struggle, and last weekend’s disqualifications didn’t help.
Lando Norris was at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings for the first 4 rounds of the season, until his teammate Oscar Piastri overtook him during the 5th round in Saudi Arabia.
For the entirety of the 2025 season, a McLaren driver has led the championship, although it has changed between Piastri and Norris.
McLaren introduced ‘Papaya Rules’ during the Hungarian Grand Prix last year and also have made it clear that they do not see either driver as their first driver and instead they treat them equally.
This has put McLaren at a loss compared to the other teams as the points are being split fairly equally between both drivers, instead of prioritising one.
Typically, a team will sacrifice the second drivers position in the race if it will help the first driver, a good example of this is the dynamic that Mercedes had with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. If Hamilton was a place behind Bottas, they would swap positions to priorities Hamiltons chance of winning the championship, and clearly it paid off.
However, McLaren are letting their drivers fight it out every week, and although it has led to some interesting races, it has put their chances of winning the drivers championship under threat from Max Verstappen who could still win the Championship this year.
Team Statement following the Las Vegas Grand Prix.#McLaren | #LasVegasGP
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 23, 2025
Last weekend, both of the McLaren Drivers were Disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix due to issues with the floor of the car, leaving both drivers vulnerable in the standing.
With there only being two races and one sprint race left, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is joint second with Oscar Piastri, both with a 24 point gap to the leader, Lando Norris.
This battle will continue until the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, taking place on the 7th December.
