Five Takeaways: Las Vegas Grand Prix

Written by Elaina Russell, Edited by Morgan Holiday

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified for a breach in regulations | Credit: Formula One

The 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix delivered everything the Strip promised and then some. Max Verstappen returned to winning ways under the neon glare while McLaren’s night unravelled spectacularly, culminating in a double disqualification that detonated the championship fight. 

With Verstappen’s victory tightening the title chase and Mercedes’ resurgence adding fresh pressure, Vegas reshaped the season in one wild and  rain-soaked weekend.

Here are DIVEBOMB’s five key takeaways from race weekend on the Strip.

The double McLaren DSQ

The defining moment of the weekend came hours after the chequered flag. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified when post-race inspection revealed excessive skid wear, falling below the minimum 9mm allowed under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations. 

The stewards accepted the team’s explanation of unexpected porpoising, limited practice and compromised running, but at the end of the day there was a breach of regulations. The rule is binary, and the outcome was ruthless: both cars were thrown out of the results.

The repercussions were seismic. Norris lost a vital second-place finish, Piastri surrendered his fourth-place finish, and the title fight has pivoted overnight. What had been a comfortable lead for Norris became a pressure cooker with just two rounds left.  

Max Verstappen claims victory in Vegas | Credit: Formula One

Verstappen strikes back

Verstappen needed a lifeline, and he certainly found one. His launch off the line was decisive, catching Norris early on in the race. From early laps on, Verstappen controlled the fight with a level of composure that Red Bull have not always enjoyed this season.

The Dutchman’s margin ballooned to nearly twenty seconds before late-race management kicked in. It was a confident display from a driver who has endured a year of mood and machinery swings, yet remains lethal when the window is open.

Verstappen admitted in the post-race conference that the win keeps his title hopes alive. 

Mercedes rebound with Russell’s grit and Antonelli’s breakout

Mercedes left Las Vegas with something rare for this year: momentum. George Russell ran strongly in the opening stint, shadowing race leaders and looking genuinely competitive until tyre degradation and a lingering steering issue put a cap on his charge. 

Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, delivered a stellar drive for a rookie. From 17th on the grid, he executed an aggressive early stop onto the hard tyre and made it work. A false-start penalty cost him time but not composure. 

It felt symbolic: a Mercedes team rebuilding, and a teenager confirming why he is the most scrutinised rookie in recent years.

Frédéric Vasseur will have much to explain following the last race in the United States for the 2025 season | Credit: Formula One

Ferrari’s contradictions persist

Ferrari remains one of grid’s greatest contradictions. Charles Leclerc put on a clinic after a miserable wet qualifying left him mired in ninth position. His first stint on Saturday night was sharp–dispatching Oliver Bearman, Piastri, and Isack Hadjar–and he would go on to finish fourth after the revised classification.

Lewis Hamilton, in contrast, experienced a weekend easily labelled as horrendous. Knocked out in the first round of qualifying, starting 20th on the grid, managing a long first stint on the hard compound, he fought back to the fringes of the points though a four point finish is far from what the seven time champion is used to.

Ferrari had pace yet again, but never cohesion. It remains their season-long pattern.

Gabriel Bortoleto had an interesting weekend, causing a collision in the opening lap | Credit: Formula One

A championship shaken, rattled and rolled

Norris’ DSQ drops him to 390 points, his title lead shrinking to a precarious 24-point margin over both Piastri and Verstappen tied on 366.

What had looked like a near-closed chapter is now a three-way brawl heading into the final stretch. The psychological blow to McLaren may be as significant as the points themselves. Fuel concerns, reliability scares, and now legality issues raise the question: are the cracks beginning to show?

Beyond the title battle, Vegas was a weekend of emotional highs. Doriane Pin secured the F1 Academy crown after a year of standout performances. The city delivered a spectacle only Vegas can–fireworks, celebrities, theatrics, and even a Lego Cadillac chauffeuring the podium trio.

Looking Ahead

As F1 sprints towards the closing rounds, the championship sits on a knife-edge. Norris leads by 24, Piastri and Verstappen are dead-level, and Mercedes look increasingly ready to disrupt the order.

With two races and one sprint left, every point matters. Every pit call matters. Every kerb strike matters – as McLaren learned the hard way.

Vegas was a turning point. What happens next will decide the 2025 season.