McLaren would like to forget the Las Vegas race weekend as quickly as possible. After drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri initially crossed the finish line in second and fourth place, they were later disqualified; the wear on the skid block under both cars exceeded the limits of the technical regulations. Team boss Andrea Stella reacts disappointedly and apologizes to his drivers, McLaren’s partners, and the fans.
The McLaren drivers were quickly summoned to the FIA after the race. The stewards had determined that the wooden floor plate on both Norris and Piastri’s cars was excessively worn. After lengthy deliberation, this led to the usual disqualification. World Championship leader Lando Norris consequently lost a lot of ground in the standings. Max Verstappen – who was crowned winner in Las Vegas – gained 25 points on the Brit and came level with Piastri. Both still need to make up 24 points compared to Norris.
Team boss Andrea Stella cancelled his media obligations following the discussion with the stewards, but later issued a written statement. “During the race, both cars experienced unexpectedly high levels of porpoising, which were not detected during training,” he said. “This led to excessive contact with the ground. We are investigating the causes of this car behavior, as well as the effect of accidental damage to both vehicles. We only noticed this after the race and it also contributed to additional movement in the floor.”
‘A Crucial Moment in the Title Fight’
Stella emphasized that there was no intent to break the rules: “As the FIA noted, the violation was unintentional. It was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules, and there were mitigating circumstances.” The team boss also addressed the impact on his drivers: “We apologize to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points today. This result comes at a crucial moment in their title fight, following two strong performances throughout the weekend. As a team, we apologize to our partners and fans, whose support is invaluable.”
Stella concluded with a look at the remaining races: “While this result is hugely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the final two races of the season.” Norris still maintains a good position to dethrone Verstappen, although his margin has significantly shrunk. During the final sprint weekend in Qatar and the season finale in Abu Dhabi, a maximum of 58 points are still up for grabs.
