F1 TITLE RACE: LANDO NORRIS INSISTS VEGAS SHAMBLES DIDN'T MATTER
Lando Norris remains focused on the F1 title despite his Las Vegas DSQ. The McLaren driver leads Verstappen by 24 points heading to Qatar.
Lando Norris says his focus on winning his first Formula One title hasn't changed, even after he and his McLaren teammate were kicked out of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. This result put Red Bull’s Max Verstappen back in the title chase. McLaren's team boss, Andrea Stella, says they didn't take excessive risks with their car setup in Las Vegas.
Verstappen won the race in Nevada, with Norris coming in second and Piastri fourth. But, after the race, officials found that the skid blocks on their cars were worn down too much, below the legal limit of 9 mm, leading to their disqualification.
Before the race, Verstappen trailed Norris by 49 points. Now, with Norris and Piastri losing their points, he's only 24 points behind—the same gap as Piastri—as they head to Qatar. Norris can still win the title here, but he insists he doesn't feel any extra pressure from Verstappen closing in.
We've seen him as a threat all year, even when he was further back, Norris said. We know what he and Red Bull can do, so nothing's changed.
There's no reason to change how we do things. We've been doing well, and I'm happy with our performance. We know what we need to work on. I didn't think we had a bad weekend or result in Las Vegas, so that's good.
Las Vegas was still a setback for Norris. If not for the disqualification, he would be heading to Qatar with a 30-point lead over Piastri and 42 over Verstappen, giving him a better shot at the title.
"Of course, it hurts," he said. Everyone puts in a lot of effort each weekend, and it felt like it all went to waste. The mechanics, engineers, and everyone at McLaren feel let down.
We're all bummed, but I found it easy to move on, take a few days off, and get ready for this weekend.
Piastri echoed these feelings and made it clear he wouldn't sacrifice his own chances to help Norris against Verstappen. We talked about it briefly, and the answer is no, he said. I'm tied with Max in points, and I still have a good chance of winning if things go my way, so that's how we'll approach it.
With a 24-point lead over his rivals and 58 points up for grabs this weekend (including a sprint race), Norris must score two points more than both of them to secure the title, or one point if he wins Sunday’s race.
McLaren's Andrea Stella addressed the situation, saying that he doesn't think the team pushed the car's ride height too close to the limit. He said the unexpected bouncing of the cars caught them off guard from the start of the race.
Based on practice data, we didn't think we were taking big risks with the ride height, and we even added a safety margin for qualifying and the race, he said.
The specific problem was the unexpected bouncing, which caused the car to move up and down a lot, Stella explained. This was worse because of the race conditions and wasn't something we saw in practice or expected based on our predictions.
SERGIO PEREZ BREAKS SILENCE ON CADILLAC’S FIRST FOUR RACES OF 2026 F1 SEASON
Discover why Sergio Perez is confident in Cadillac’s 2026 path despite urgent needs for better pace and reliability fixes.
Sergio Perez didn’t waste time sharing his thoughts on Cadillac after the first four races of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Cadillac shows up in 2026 as F1’s newest team, but honestly, not a lot of people expected fireworks right away. With veterans like Valtteri Bottas and Perez behind the wheel, the team’s start has been a mix, some moments full of promise, others derailed by reliability issues.
Still, Cadillac isn’t just stuck at the back. Lately, they’ve been right there fighting with Aston Martin and even managed to split them in Miami, which turned a few heads.
Perez knows the team is at risk of falling behind in this crazy-fast development race, though. “We still have work to do, but I’m confident we’re on the right path,” he told reporters, including Motorsport Week.
He added, “Sometimes, once tyre degradation sets in, we can hang with the midfield, but they always seem to find another gear. There’s a long way to go this season, but we’re in a rush to find more pace. We know Aston will get stronger, and we don’t want to be left behind.”
Racing Aston Martin has actually brought Perez some enjoyment. He especially likes battling Fernando Alonso, calling those fights fair and satisfying. Still, he pointed out a weak spot: “We’re having fun with them. Racing Fernando is always great because he’s so fair. But we struggled with tyre degradation; we burnt through them too quickly. We picked the hard compound, but honestly, looking back, I should’ve gone with the soft.”
He said there’s plenty to analyse, and really, the key is getting a better grip on their car as they look ahead to Canada. “We don’t have much time, but in the short term, we need to fix the degradation. We have some ideas, but putting them together is our biggest challenge in the next few weeks.”
Cadillac may be the new kid on the block and still finding its feet, but it’s already starting to make an impact. The road out of the lower ranks won’t be easy, but they’re moving in the right direction.
HOW KIMI ANTONELLI’S THREE-RACE WIN STREAK IS REDEFINING THE MERCEDES TEAM HIERARCHY
With a 43-second gap in Miami, Antonelli proves he’s ready to lead the World Championship. Can Russell bounce back in Canada?
David Coulthard, the former Formula 1 driver, recently pointed out that Kimi Antonelli might be on track to overtake George Russell as Mercedes’ team leader.
Antonelli has been on an impressive run, clinching victories in the last three races and pulling ahead by 20 points over his main competitor and teammate, Russell.
At the Miami race, the young Italian once again outperformed his more seasoned teammate, with Russell managing only fourth place, trailing by 43 seconds.
Coulthard acknowledged Antonelli’s rapid rise in 2026, which is just his second season in F1. He highlighted Antonelli’s strengths and suggested that the Italian is, in many ways, now leading the Mercedes team.
“He’s come of age,” Coulthard said during the Up To Speed podcast.
Despite being relatively new, Antonelli has shown resilience, dealing not only with the pressure from a driver like Lando ready to strike but also with technical glitches like inconsistent paddle shifts. Coulthard mentioned how Antonelli kept his cool even when his engineer, Bono, was trying to help troubleshoot the issue in a tense moment.
“I think he’s earned the right to lead the World Championship,” Coulthard added, noting that this situation probably feels uncomfortable for George. Still, the expectations now lean heavily toward Antonelli leading the team, especially based on recent results.
Coulthard also pointed out that Russell has the experience and skill to reclaim his position as the team’s lead driver, but emphasised that only one can come out on top; someone must finish first and the other second.
The rivalry between them might start opening doors for other teams. Coulthard noted that improvements from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull were already noticeable, especially in Miami.
“Winning in the best car isn’t always straightforward. Many have tried and struggled,” he said.
For Russell, who is feeling the weight of this momentum shift, the upcoming race in Canada will be crucial if he wants to close the gap and halt Antonelli’s winning streak.
