Unexpected luck: Max Verstappen's title chances in Las Vegas have increased.

Las Vegas is the city of gambling and luck. Luck is practically lying on the street, at least for Max Verstappen, who won the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix with Red Bull. But the race victory isn't the main focus. Since September, the Dutchman has been on cloud nine in Formula 1. Of nine races, the Red Bull powerhouse has won five and, with one exception, secured only podium finishes. McLaren still dominates Formula 1 with its drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and the Constructors' Championship is already theirs, but now a completely new situation has surprisingly arisen. Until now, the competition was between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. For a long time, the young Australian Piastri led the standings this season, but then Lando Norris recently turned the tables and took the lead. But now, a ruling by the Formula 1 stewards is working in Max Verstappen and Red Bull's favor. The two leaders in the World Championship standings, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, were disqualified after the race. The floor panels on both Formula 1 cars were found to be thinner than the required 9 millimeters, as a post-race measurement revealed. As a result, they also lost the points they thought they had won. Had they not been disqualified, Lando Norris, in particular, would likely have been uncatchable at the top. However, due to the mishap, Verstappen has drawn level with Piastri, also reaching 366 points. Only 24 points now separate Verstappen from Norris, who leads the standings with 390 points. If the Dutchman were to win the next two races and Norris were to falter, Max Verstappen would become World Champion – completely unexpectedly, but deservedly. Las Vegas has certainly brought the Dutchman luck.