FIA’s Shock Ruling Strips Lando Norris of Hungarian GP Victory: McLaren Disqualified After Leaked Footage Exposes Rule Breach
In a seismic blow to McLaren’s 2025 Formula 1 campaign, the FIA has officially disqualified Lando Norris’s victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 3, 2025, following the emergence of previously unseen footage revealing aerodynamic irregularities in his McLaren MCL40. The decision, announced on August 5, 2025, hands the win to teammate Oscar Piastri, who finished 0.698 seconds behind Norris, and reshuffles the championship standings, per Motorsport.com. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella swiftly condemned the ruling as “disproportionate,” vowing to appeal, while fans on X, like @JunaidSamodien_, erupted with reactions, from support for the FIA’s verdict to outrage over perceived bias. The disqualification, stemming from a probe initiated after the Belgian Grand Prix, marks a dramatic turning point in F1’s tightest title fight in years.
Norris’s Hungarian triumph, initially celebrated as McLaren’s 200th Grand Prix victory, saw the Briton overcome a first-lap drop from third to fifth with a daring one-stop strategy, outpacing Piastri’s two-stop approach and Ferrari’s pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, per The Athletic. The leaked footage, sourced from onboard cameras at Spa and Hungary, revealed an illegal floor design adjustment that provided an aerodynamic advantage, violating FIA technical regulations, per Sky Sports. The FIA’s technical delegate, Jo Bauer, confirmed the breach involved a dynamic suspension tweak that altered ride height during restarts, giving Norris an edge, per BBC Sport. The ruling strips Norris of his 25 points, elevating Piastri to the win and Mercedes’ George Russell to second, with Leclerc moving to third, per Formula1.com.
Stella responded forcefully in a Sky Sports interview, stating, “The allegations are baseless. Our car has passed every FIA inspection this season, and we’re confident in our compliance.” He suggested the footage, which surfaced on X via @F1FanHub, was “inconclusive” and distorted by camera angles, insisting McLaren’s car passed prior inspections. “We’re appealing to protect Lando’s integrity and our championship fight,” Stella added, per Motorsport.com. The decision widens Piastri’s Drivers’ Championship lead to 34 points over Norris, while McLaren’s 297-point Constructors’ Championship lead remains intact, per The Athletic. However, the ruling boosts Ferrari’s hopes, with Leclerc now 43 points behind Piastri, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished P9 after colliding with Lewis Hamilton, at 97 points back, per Sky Sports.
The controversy has reignited debates over FIA consistency, with fans recalling the 2007 Spygate scandal that cost McLaren $100 million and their Constructors’ points, per ESPN. X users like @LN4addict slammed the decision, tweeting, “This is a targeted attack to sabotage Lando’s title hopes,” while @OmiComms supported the FIA, stating, “Rules are rules—McLaren got caught.” Hamilton, who slumped to a career-worst P12 at Hungary, hinted at Ferrari’s internal struggles but congratulated Piastri, telling PlanetF1.com, “Oscar drove brilliantly; justice is served.” Leclerc, whose P4 was upgraded to P3, expressed mixed feelings, saying, “I’d rather win on track, but points are points,” per Gazzetta.it.
The disqualification compounds McLaren’s challenges, with Norris’s earlier Spa errors and a crash with Piastri in Canada fueling scrutiny of his championship mettle, per The Mirror. McLaren’s Zak Brown, defending his drivers, told Sky Sports, “Lando and Oscar are champions in our eyes; we’ll fight this appeal to the end.” The team faces a tight timeline, with the appeal hearing expected before the Dutch Grand Prix on August 29, per FIA.com. Historical precedents, like Ferrari’s 1999 Malaysian GP disqualification (later overturned), suggest McLaren’s appeal could succeed, but the damage to Norris’s morale is evident, per GPFans.com.
As F1 enters its summer break, the Hungarian GP’s fallout—Norris’s disqualification, McLaren’s appeal, and the reshaped title race—sets the stage for a dramatic second half. With X users like @SCUDERIAFEMBOY urging, “The FIA must uphold fairness, but McLaren’s dominance can’t be ignored,” the paddock braces for a contentious appeal. Will Norris reclaim his victory, or will Piastri’s unexpected win redefine McLaren’s 2025 legacy? The road to Zandvoort promises high-stakes drama in F1’s most unpredictable season yet.
