Norris In Trouble: How Max Verstappen Can Possibly Win The 2025 F1 Championship After Las Vegas GP

Netflix couldn’t script it better. Just when the 2025 Formula 1 championship looked set for a Lando Norris coronation, the Las Vegas Grand Prix detonated the entire title fight.

With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri disqualified for a plank-wear infringement, the championship has flipped on its head — and suddenly, Max Verstappen has a clear shot at ripping the title away.

How the Las Vegas DQ Chaos Unfolded

Norris originally finished P2 behind Verstappen, with Piastri in P4, a result that extended Norris’s lead to a comfortable 30 points.

Then the FIA dropped a bombshell.

Post-race checks revealed that the rear skid thickness on both McLarens was below the required 9mm minimum. The cars were referred to the stewards, and both drivers were deleted

from the results, wiping out their points entirely.

And just like that, the entire championship picture exploded into chaos.

The Title Standings (With Two Races Remaining)

The double-disqualification has transformed the points table:

• Norris – 390
• Verstappen – 366
• Piastri – 366

Norris still leads, but the margin is now a razor-thin 24 points — and with Qatar and Abu Dhabi still to come (plus the Qatar Sprint), the title is suddenly anyone’s to take.

How Verstappen or Piastri Can Steal the Title

For Verstappen, the mission is brutally simple: Win. Everything.

If he sweeps Qatar’s Sprint + GP and wins Abu Dhabi, he’ll reach 420 points.

And with a little (lot of luck), if Norris finishes P3 in Qatar (both sprint and main race) + P4 in Abu Dhabi, Max can win the championship by one (1) point.

What Norris Must Do to Seal His First World Title

Norris cannot drop lower than P2 in either remaining GP and must avoid any further DSQs, including in the Sprint.

At the very least, if he simply:

• finishes P2 in Qatar,
• scores at least 1 point in the Sprint, and
• finishes P2 in Abu Dhabi

Norris becomes World Champion — no matter what Verstappen or Piastri do.

Buckle up, it is going to be a thrilling ride to the end.