McLaren has issued a heartfelt apology to their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, after they were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The duo had finished second and fourth respectively, but their team was summoned to the stewards post-race due to suspected issues with the minimum width of their rearmost skid on the car.
In a statement, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said: “Following the Las Vegas Grand Prix, we were found in breach of Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations, which requires a minimum of 9mm skid thickness. Car 4 was found in breach by a maximum of 0.12mm of the rearmost skid and Car 81 by a maximum of 0.26mm of the rearmost skid.
“During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the Practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground. We are investigating the reasons for this behaviour of the car, including the effect of accidental damage sustained by both cars, which we found after the race, and that led to an increase of movement of the floor.
“As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed. We apologise to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points, at a critical time in their Championship campaigns after two strong performances from them all weekend. As a team, we also apologise to our partners and fans, whose support means so much.
“While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season.”
Piastri trails by 24 points in second place, but Max Verstappen has now drawn level with the Australian, in turn keeping his championship hopes alive. The four-time champion clinched victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, seizing the lead from Norris in the first lap and maintaining it throughout the race.
Both Norris and Piastri expressed their disappointment over the disqualification, which left them point-less after a gruelling race. It means there’s all to play for in the final two races of the 2025 season, with Qatar and Abu Dhabi set to wrap up the campaign in the coming fortnight.
In a post-race interview with Sky Sports, the Red Bull driver said: “It depends a lot on how our car will perform in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is a very good McLaren track, but we’ll see.
“It’s a very, very big gap. It’s also not something that will be easily overturned. We need a bit of luck for that, but we can still win races and we’ll try.”
Verstappen emerged victorious in last year’s Qatar Grand Prix, while Norris clinched the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix title. This season promises to deliver plenty of thrills and spills, setting the stage for a nail-biting finale with unexpected twists and turns yet to come.
There’s no question the possible outcomes will be thoroughly analysed – by all parties involved – with everyone keenly watching who can keep their cool under pressure. To overturn the lead at the top, luck may need to favour the trailing drivers, a sentiment echoed by Verstappen himself.
