What happened
McLaren were surprisingly disqualified after the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Both cars were disqualified due to excessive wear on the floor panel. The disqualification came as a shock. At the end of the race, only Lando Norris seemed to be at risk. His teammates and spectators initially thought it was a fuel management issue.
Why it went wrong
In the final sessions, Norris repeatedly eased off the throttle and coasted. This appeared to be fuel saving. Radio messages from the team suggested that the fuel seemed “okay” later on. However, this turned out to be a misleading clue.
McLaren used coded instructions. The aim was not so much to save fuel. The aim was to prevent damage to the plank. By applying less throttle at the end of the straights, the rear of the car was less likely to scrape against the asphalt. This meant that the underside of the car would scrape less hard against the asphalt.
Why Piastri should not have done the same
Oscar Piastri did not receive similar instructions. This suggests that his car did not have the same problem. Piastri may have appeared to be at less risk because he often drove in DRS. This meant that his wing was under less stress. During the race, McLaren realised that Norris’ car was indeed at risk. Their assessment of how narrow that margin was turned out to be incorrect.
Team response and aftermath
The team provided little explanation after the result. The planned media briefing by team boss Andrea Stella was postponed and later cancelled. McLaren apologised and announced an internal investigation. Norris said that the final management of the race was affected by problems with their car. The federation ultimately disqualified both McLarens.
Championship implications
The impact is significant. Due to the disqualification, neither driver scored any points. Norris’ lead has shrunk to 24 points over both Piastri and Max Verstappen. With two rounds remaining — Qatar with a sprint and Abu Dhabi — there are still 58 points up for grabs. That makes the championship a lot more exciting.
Key points
- Cause: excessive wear on the shelf under the car.
- Instructions to Norris were coded and intended to minimise plank wear, not to save fuel.
- Piastri did not receive similar instructions, probably because his car was at less risk.
- McLaren underestimated how tight the margin was. That miscalculation cost both cars the result.
- Sporting: Norris’ lead is now much smaller and the championship is wide open again.
Conclusion
It was a costly mistake by McLaren. The decision to have Norris shift down and coast was intended to save material. However, the assessment of the wing wear proved to be incorrect. The consequences are significant for both the race and the title battle. McLaren is now investigating exactly what went wrong.
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