- Charles Leclerc
- Lewis Hamilton
- Max Verstappen
- Lando Norris
- Ayrton Senna
- Michael Schumacher
- Fernando Alonso
- Oscar Piastri
- George Russell
- Kimi Antonelli
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Pierre Gasly
- Franco Colapinto
- Carlos Sainz
- Oliver Bearman
- Sergio Pérez
- Valterri Bottas
- Isack Hadjar
- Alain Prost
- James Hunt
Why McLaren Were Disqualified from the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix
The 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix was already dramatic on track, but the biggest twist came when McLaren were disqualified from the Las Vegas GP hours after the chequered flag. Both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, were disqualified from the results after finishing second and fourth on the road. The decision shocked fans and turned the title fight on its head – but from the FIA’s perspective, the case was clear: McLaren’s cars did not comply with the technical regulations.
In this article we break down, in simple terms, what rule McLaren broke, what the stewards found, why it happened in Las Vegas, and what it means for the 2025 championship battle.
Why were McLaren disqualified from the Las Vegas GP?
At the heart of the story is a very specific but crucial element of a modern F1 car: the skid plank, sometimes called the “plank” or “skid block”.
The skid plank and the 9mm rule explained
Under the current Formula 1 technical regulations, every car must run with a wooden-composite plank fixed to the underside of the chassis. The purpose of this plank is to control how low the car can run and to prevent teams from slamming their cars onto the asphalt in search of downforce.
The plank has several precisely defined measuring holes. After the race, the FIA checks these points. If the plank has worn away too much and the thickness at any of these points drops below 9 mm, the car is considered illegal – regardless of whether the performance gain was intentional or not.
In Las Vegas, that is exactly what happened to both McLarens.
How the FIA checks cars after the race
Post-race scrutineering follows a standard procedure. Several cars – especially those that finish in the top 10 – are selected for detailed checks. Among other things, the FIA’s technical delegates:
Measure plank thickness at the official measuring points
Compare ride-height and suspension data to expected values
Inspect bodywork, wings and power unit components
Once the measurements confirmed that the plank wear was beyond the limit, the stewards had no choice: McLaren were disqualified from the Las Vegas GP under the strict liability nature of the technical regulations.
What did the stewards find on Norris and Piastri’s cars?
The FIA’s report from Las Vegas was very explicit. During post-race checks, the rear-most skid areas on both McLaren MCL39s were found to be below the required 9 mm thickness. As confirmed in the official Formula 1 report on the disqualification, the FIA’s post-race inspection found excessive skid plank wear on both cars.
On Lando Norris’s car, the plank was measured and found to be under the limit at multiple points on the right-hand side. Oscar Piastri’s car showed even larger deviations, with excessive wear both at the rear and, in places, at the front.
The stewards then re-measured the skid blocks in the presence of McLaren representatives and confirmed that the readings were correct and that the cars did not comply with the technical regulations. At that moment, disqualification was effectively inevitable: the rules leave very little room for interpretation once the plank is too thin.
Why intent doesn’t matter for technical infringements
An important detail in this case is that the FIA accepted that McLaren did not act deliberately. The stewards noted that the breach was unintentional and that the team did not try to circumvent the regulations. However, in Formula 1, most technical rules are “strict liability”: if the car is outside the limits – for any reason – it is illegal.
That is why the argument of “we didn’t mean to do it” cannot save a team from a disqualification in a case like this. The regulations exist to keep cars safe and to prevent a dangerous arms race in ride heights.
Why did the planks wear out in Las Vegas?
If McLaren did not intend to run the car too low, why did the skid blocks wear so much?
Team Principal Andrea Stella explained that the root cause lay in unexpectedly strong porpoising – the vertical bouncing of the car caused by aerodynamic stall and reattachment – combined with the particular nature of the Las Vegas street circuit.
A bumpy street circuit with tricky conditions
The Las Vegas Strip Circuit is not a traditional permanent race track. It is a temporary street layout with:
Uneven asphalt and surface changes
Bumps and manhole covers
Long straights followed by heavy braking zones
To be competitive on such a layout, teams often try to run the car as low as possible to maximise downforce on the long straights, while still respecting the plank rules. Vegas also ran in cool night-time conditions, which affected tyre behaviour and the way the car rode the bumps.
Unexpected porpoising and limited practice time
McLaren’s analysis points to a combination of factors:
The car bounced more than expected over the bumps, especially at high speed – this is the “extensive porpoising” Stella talked about.
Each time the car hit the ground, the rear skid blocks scraped the asphalt and wore away more of the plank.
Because of disrupted and shortened practice sessions earlier in the weekend, the team had less data than usual to predict how extreme the wear would be over a full race distance.
In simple terms: McLaren believed they were safely within the margin, but the real-world conditions of the race pushed the car outside that window.
What does the disqualification change in the 2025 title fight?
Sportingly, the double disqualification is huge.
Before the stewards’ decision, Lando Norris had extended his lead in the drivers’ championship by finishing second behind race winner Max Verstappen, while Oscar Piastri added a strong fourth place. After the DSQ, both McLarens lost all their points from Las Vegas, and Verstappen’s result was promoted, bringing him level on points with Piastri and much closer to Norris with only Qatar and Abu Dhabi remaining.
For McLaren, the constructors’ title is already secured, but the drivers’ championship is now wide open. One technical misjudgement in Vegas has turned what looked like a comfortable advantage into a much more fragile lead.
For collectors who follow every twist of the 2025 title fight, our Max Verstappen replica helmets collection lets you own a piece of the story, with full-size display models inspired by his championship designs.
How did McLaren respond to the FIA’s decision?
Publicly, McLaren have taken a measured tone. Andrea Stella has:
Admitted that the team misjudged the situation with ride height and porpoising.
Stressed that no “excessive risks” were taken on purpose with the setup.
Underlined that the FIA themselves recognised the breach as unintentional, even if the penalty had to stand.
Both Norris and Piastri have expressed frustration but also insisted that the setback will not change their approach to the final two races. The message from within the team is clear: learn from Vegas, avoid a repeat, and fight for the title on track in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Key points fans should remember
To wrap everything up, here are the main takeaways from McLaren’s Las Vegas disqualification:
Rule broken: The skid plank on both McLaren MCL39s wore below the legal 9 mm thickness at several measuring points.
Cause: A combination of low ride height, a bumpy street circuit, cool night conditions and stronger-than-expected porpoising led to excessive wear.
Intent: The FIA accepted that McLaren did not act deliberately, but technical regulations are strict – if the car is illegal, the result cannot stand.
Penalty: Both Norris and Piastri were disqualified from the Las Vegas GP, losing their second and fourth places and all associated points.
Championship impact: Max Verstappen gains massively in the 2025 title race, while McLaren now face more pressure in the final two rounds.
For collectors: the Las Vegas twist and Verstappen replica helmets
For many fans, the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix will be remembered not just for the neon skyline and late-night drama, but for the moment the championship battle was transformed in the stewards’ room.
If you’re on the side of the driver who capitalised most on McLaren’s misfortune, you can celebrate the twist in the title fight with a Max Verstappen replica helmet from our collection at 123Helmets – crafted for display, designed for fans who follow every detail of the season.
Discover Max Verstappen Replica Helmets
Celebrate every twist in the 2025 title battle with a full-size Max Verstappen replica helmet, crafted for display and built for fans who live F1 every weekend.
