McLaren Disqualified in Las Vegas GP for Plank Wear Breach
Both McLaren cars were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix due to excessive plank wear, exceeding F1's technical regulations. This incident highlights ongoing challenges for teams with current car designs and limited practice time, making it difficult to balance performance with compliance on demanding tracks. The recurring nature of these infringements across the grid underscores the stringent enforcement of F1's technical rulebook.
Following the Las Vegas Grand Prix, both McLaren cars were disqualified after post-race inspections revealed excessive plank wear, exceeding Formula 1's technical regulations. This marks another instance of plank wear infringements in recent F1 seasons, highlighting the challenges teams face with current car designs and limited practice time.
Why it matters:
McLaren's disqualification in Las Vegas underscores the critical balance teams must strike between performance and legality, especially with the current generation of F1 cars designed to run extremely low. These recurring plank wear infringements across multiple teams – including Mercedes and Ferrari previously – highlight an ongoing technical challenge and the strict enforcement of regulations that can drastically alter race results and championship standings.
The details:
- Regulation Breach: Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's McLaren cars had plank wear beyond the permissible 1mm limit on the rearmost skid block, falling below the 9mm minimum thickness required by F1 technical regulations.
- Scrutiny Process: Scrutineers use four 50mm holes drilled into the plank to measure wear. Failure to meet the 9mm minimum results in disqualification.
- Recent Precedents: Plank wear infringements have become more frequent in recent years, contrasting with only two disqualifications in 1994 when the plank was introduced.
- In 2023, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) were disqualified from the United States Grand Prix for similar infractions.
- Hamilton faced a second disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix this year, and Nico Hulkenberg's Bahrain result was also expunged for excessive skid wear.
- Impact on Sprint Weekends: The 2023 US GP disqualifications contributed to redefining sprint weekend formats, allowing parc ferme to reopen between the sprint race and qualifying to address setup challenges.
Between the lines:
McLaren's situation in Las Vegas presents a unique challenge compared to previous incidents. The notoriously bumpy circuit, coupled with changeable weather conditions throughout the weekend, made it difficult for the team to find a setup that worked for both qualifying and the race. While other teams managed to stay within limits, McLaren's error suggests a setup miscalculation, potentially shifting balance backward to gain performance.
What's next:
Teams will continue to grapple with the complexities of F1's technical regulations, particularly concerning plank wear. The current stiffly sprung cars, designed for consistent downforce at low ride heights, are susceptible to bumps, tyre wear, fuel load changes, and kerb strikes, all of which impact plank wear. McLaren, like others before them, will need to refine their setup strategies to prevent future breaches, as the sport demands precision engineering and meticulous adherence to rules to avoid severe penalties.