McLaren Reveals Cause of Las Vegas Skid Wear Disqualification

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has explained that unexpected and severe porpoising during the Las Vegas Grand Prix caused the excessive skid wear on Lando Norris' and Oscar Piastri's cars, leading to their disqualification. The team lost crucial points after both cars were found to have planks below the 9mm minimum thickness in post-race checks.

Why it matters:

McLaren's disqualification in Las Vegas cost Lando Norris 18 points and Oscar Piastri 12 points, significantly impacting their championship standings. Norris's lead over his rivals was cut, and Piastri found himself level with Max Verstappen. This incident highlights the critical balance teams must strike between performance and adherence to technical regulations, especially when unexpected track conditions emerge.

The Details:

• Early Detection: Andrea Stella confirmed that data from the early laps clearly indicated an unexpected level of porpoising, raising concerns. McLaren could monitor Norris's car via telemetry, but a lost sensor made tracking Piastri's car more challenging.
• Ineffective Mitigations: As porpoising intensified, skid wear levels rapidly increased. Despite instructing both drivers to adjust their driving to mitigate the issue, these actions proved largely ineffective due to the car's operating window and the specific characteristics of the Las Vegas circuit.
• No Gamble on Ride Height: Stella emphasized that McLaren did not gamble on ride height, having added a safety margin after practice. However, the unique conditions in Vegas and limited dry running created a misleading picture of how the car would behave.
• Unexpected Oscillation: The added safety margin was nullified by the sudden onset of large vertical oscillations, which caused the car to repeatedly bottom out. Counterintuitively, even speed reductions, which should theoretically increase ground clearance, were only effective on some parts of the track and counterproductive on others.
• Acceptance of Penalty: McLaren accepted the penalty after verifying the FIA's measurements. Norris's plank was 0.12mm under the limit, and Piastri's was 0.26mm under. Stella noted that regulations provide stewards with no discretion for such breaches, regardless of the severity.

What's Next:

While the Las Vegas incident was a setback, McLaren does not expect a repeat in upcoming races. Andrea Stella believes the specific conditions that led to the porpoising and excessive grounding were unique to the Las Vegas operating window and circuit characteristics. The team remains confident in its established car setup methods for the Lusail International Circuit and beyond. This incident, however, has provided valuable information about the car's operating window and porpoising behavior, informing future adjustments and learnings.