Lando Norris Risks FIA Punishment With 3-Word Las Vegas GP Confession

Lando Norris could find himself in trouble with Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, after conceding that the first corner defense that saw him run wide and gift Max Verstappen the Las Vegas Grand Prix lead was a 'f*** up'.

The McLaren driver started on pole position at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit after a spellbinding qualifying performance in the wet on Friday, but after chopping straight across Verstappen off the line, he failed to spot his braking point and ran wide, allowing the Red Bull driver into a lead he would not relinquish.

Norris also dropped behind Mercedes' George Russell and, despite getting back past his compatriot later in the race, extreme fuel saving in the final four laps saw him fall some 20 seconds behind Verstappen.

Las Vegas race start 2025 — Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Fine incoming?

Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri were later disqualified from the race after both McLaren's suffered from excessive wear on the rear skidblocks.

But addressing his performance before news of his disqualification was delivered, Norris joked: "I let Max have a win. I let him go, let him have a nice race.

"Nah, I just braked too late. It was my f-up... I wanted to put on a show, right? That's why we're in Vegas, I guess.

"No, it wasn't my best performance out there. But when a guy wins by 20 seconds, it's because he's just done a better job and they were quicker. So fun race out there, difficult as always, but good fun."

McLaren driver Lando Norris | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

When pressed by former F1 world championship runner-up David Coulthard on the issue, Norris uncensored his initial review and said, "I f***ed up," which contravenes the FIA's clampdown on foul language during media duties in recent years.

With the disqualifications applied, Norris now leads both Piastri and Verstappen by 24 points, instead of being 30 ahead of the Australian and 42 ahead of the four-time champion.

MORE: Updated F1 Standings After The 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix Following Double McLaren DSQ

Norris can still win a maiden world drivers' title at the Qatar Grand Prix next weekend, which is the final sprint weekend of the season.

Parc ferme vibes 🤩#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/qmyirFvb1e
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 23, 2025

"Obviously, I've had a good run," Norris insisted, having won the previous two races in Brazil and Mexico. I think the pace was still good today. Max just drove a good race, and they were quick.

"I made the mistake into Turn 1. You've got to be punchy into Turn 1. I was just a bit too punchy, and that cost me. That's the way it is sometimes. I've got to congratulate Max and Red Bull. They drove a good race. So, on to the next one."

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