'Norris remains strong favourite but Verstappen properly in the game'

Lando Norris (left) has a 24-point lead on Max Verstappen (right) and Oscar Piastri in the Formula 1 drivers' championship with two races remaining

The disqualification of McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from the Las Vegas Grand Prix dramatically changes the complexion of the battle for the Formula 1 drivers' championship.

Before both McLarens were thrown out of the results for excessive skid-block wear, Norris had a 30-point lead over his team-mate and was 42 ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen with just two races to go and a maximum of 58 points available.

In that scenario, as long as Norris did not lose more than five points to Piastri at the penultimate race in Qatar next weekend, and 17 to Verstappen, he would have left Doha as world champion for the first time.

Verstappen still had a mathematical chance of winning a fifth consecutive world championship, but it was remote.

Now, Norris' lead is down to 24 points, and Verstappen has vaulted up to be level on points with Piastri, albeit still technically third overall as he has one fewer win.

Norris remains a strong favourite, but while his lead over Piastri is changed only a little, Verstappen is now properly in the game.

To close on Norris by 12 points on average over the remaining two races is still a big ask, but it's not that long since Verstappen's victory in Austin last month meant he had reduced his deficit to the championship leader - at that time Piastri - by 64 points over four races.

The title is still Norris' to lose - and he can win it in Qatar this coming weekend, although the maths are complicated by the fact that there is a sprint race as well as a grand prix.

But if Norris gains just two points over both rivals over the course of the Qatar weekend, he will be world champion next Sunday. If he fails to do that, the title fight goes to the final race in Abu Dhabi the following weekend.

In a statement issued by McLaren after their disqualification, Briton Norris was quoted saying: "It's frustrating to lose so many points. As a team, we're always pushing to find as much performance as we can, and we clearly didn't get that balance right today.

"Nothing I can do will change that now, instead full focus switches to Qatar, where we'll aim to go out and deliver the best possible performance in every session."

In the news conference immediately after the race, and before news of the problems with the legality of the car began to creep out, Norris said: "I look forward to Qatar. I look forward to getting somewhere warm and just go play some golf, go play some padel for a few days, enjoy a few days off, and do everything we can to try and win in Qatar."

Asked whether he would approach the race any differently, given he could for the first time clinch a world title, he said: "I've never been in that position before, so I probably can't really answer it.

"But nothing feels different now, even though that is the opportunity I'm entering into. So, no, I treat it the same.

"I treat it like I want to go and win. I'll do everything I can to try and win the race. It's certainly a lot more fun when you win than when you come second.

"My goal is to win both races to the end of the season, and the sprint as well. So I'll try and win all three.

"I just focus on having a few days off and obviously shifting the time zone all the way back to wherever we have to get back to, and then focusing on FP1."

How could disqualifications happen?

Sparks fly from the rear of Lando Norris' McLaren during final practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix

McLaren's predicament is not an uncommon situation in F1.

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari was disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix at the start of the season for the same reason, as well as the 2023 US Grand Prix when he was at Mercedes, along with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari in the same race.

George Russell's Mercedes was disqualified from victory in Belgium last season for being underweight - partly because the underfloor wore down more than the team expected.

It happens because teams generally want to run their cars as low as possible, because the lower they are, the more aerodynamic downforce they create, so the faster the lap time.

Entering any race is something of a guessing game, and the more data a team has before deciding their ride-height prior to qualifying, the more accurate the calculation can be and the less risk the team faces.

The fewer data a team has before a race, the harder the decision about where to set the ride-height. And Las Vegas was exactly the sort of weekend on which a team can get into trouble.

The second practice session, when teams gather a lot of their race data on a heavy fuel load, was disrupted by two red flags, and no-one did what is known as a race-simulation run.

That would mean that the data on which the teams base their ride-heights was severely limited.

Then, final practice and qualifying on Friday were wet, so the cars would be slower and therefore have less downforce acting on them and not wear the floor as much as if it was dry.

In addition, the Las Vegas track is bumpy, and the speeds on the long straight along the Strip are high, further increasing floor wear.

Add all that together, and mistakes can happen.

McLaren used this argument in their attempt to persuade the stewards there were mitigating factors that should be taken into account, along with the fact that the dreaded 'porpoising' - or aerodynamic bouncing - experienced by many teams when these rules were first introduced in 2022 was a factor in Las Vegas.

The stewards' report said that McLaren argued that "there was additional and unexpected porpoising at this event, limited opportunity to test due to the weather on day one, and shortened practice sessions".

The FIA's response was that "unfortunately there was no provision in the regulations or in precedent for any penalty other than the usual penalty (ie disqualification).

"The FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the breach was unintentional and that there was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations."

The infringements were small - between 0.07mm and 0.12mm on the skids on Norris' car and between 0.04mm and 0.26mm on Piastri's. But a car either complies or it does not, no matter how infinitesimal the infraction.

McLaren are not the first team to fall foul of this and they won't be the last.