Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have spoken out following their disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Norris had finished second, trailing race victor Max Verstappen, with Piastri coming in fourth. However, both drivers’ cars failed technical inspections after the race due to excessive skid-block wear, nullifying their results and shaking up the championship race with only two rounds remaining.
As a result of the disqualification, Norris now holds a 24-point lead over Piastri and Verstappen, the four-time world champion, heading into the upcoming race in Qatar and the season finale in Abu Dhabi. In his post-race remarks, Norris expressed disappointment over the lost points and emphasized the team’s commitment to delivering optimal performance in the upcoming races.
Piastri also expressed frustration over the disqualification, attributing it to skid wear issues and highlighting the need to regroup and focus on maximizing points in the remaining two rounds, tracks where the team has previously excelled.
McLaren issued an apology to Norris and Piastri for the breach of Technical Regulations, specifically Article 3.5.9 regarding skid thickness requirements. The team cited unexpected porpoising during the race as a factor contributing to the excessive wear on the cars’ skids and pledged to investigate the root causes while maintaining focus on the remaining races.
Following scrutiny by FIA officials, it was revealed that the planks beneath the McLaren cars were below the mandated 9mm thickness, indicating an unauthorized ride height and resulting in their exclusion from the final race standings.