McLaren’s Las Vegas GP results were overturned as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified for excessive plank wear. The stewards’ decision cost them valuable points, impacting their standings in the championship.
Norris and Piastri, who finished second and fourth, were disqualified after failing scrutineering. The disqualification came as a shock but not entirely unexpected, as Norris explained, “There was some small expectation of it already, so it wasn’t like it was a complete shock or out of nowhere.”
McLaren Reacts to the Disqualification
As a result of the disqualification, Max Verstappen gained a full 25 points on both drivers, bringing him within 24 points of the lead ahead of the penultimate race in Qatar. Heading into the weekend in Doha, Norris and Piastri now face an even tighter race for the championship.
Norris shared, “It hurts. There’s a lot of effort that goes into every weekend, and all that effort just felt like it disappeared very quickly.” He admitted that despite the disappointment, he found it easy to move on after taking a few days off. “We did our debrief, we talked about what was good, what was not good,” he added.
Piastri and Norris Detail the Struggles
Oscar Piastri realized the situation was dire when McLaren was summoned to the stewards. “I knew we were in trouble when we were at the circuit, being called to the stewards,” Piastri said. “When you get called to the stewards for anything, but especially something like that, we try to be optimistic, but there’s only a certain amount of optimism you can have.”
The team initially argued mitigating circumstances for the excessive plank wear, but their case was rejected. Piastri officially learned of the disqualification while at the airport, which added to his frustration.
Team boss Andrea Stella explained the team’s lack of knowledge about Piastri’s car issues due to a sensor failure. “We didn’t know exactly how bad it was,” Piastri said.
In Norris’ case, the team had advised him to ease off, but excessive plank wear was caused by porpoising, not running too low. Norris believed lifting earlier would not have made a difference. “It’s not as simple as just lifting more,” Norris said. “Especially because the issue was the purposing.”
Piastri added, “Sometimes you feel like you have a lot of grounding and not that much skid wear. Other times, it feels like you’re wearing through them like crazy.”
The disqualification has intensified the championship race, with McLaren now fighting to recover points in Qatar.
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