McLaren reveal findings from costly double disqualification

McLaren have revealed their findings from the excessive plank wear that led to their double disqualification at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished second and fourth but were thrown out of the race following post-race investigations for the wear to their skid blocks.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has provided answers to some key questions surrounding the costly technical infringement, and said the team realised plank wear was a concern early in the race.

“From the early laps of the race, it was clear from the data that the level of unexpected porpoising would be a concern,” Stella said.

“We were able to monitor the situation better on Lando’s car using telemetry data, but it was made more difficult on Oscar’s car, after we lost one of the sensors we use to establish the level of grounding.

“We realised relatively soon that this level of porpoising was causing a high level of skid wear energy and this is the reason why both drivers started to take remedial actions in various parts of the circuit.

“Unfortunately, we also saw that, because of the car operating window and the circuit characteristics, most of these actions were not effective enough in reducing porpoising.”

What was the specific cause?

McLaren argued that a disrupted practice - due to wet weather and red flags - led to an unexpected level of porpoising, but Stella denied the team took a risky approach to choosing their set-up for the weekend.

“The specific cause that led to the situation was the unexpected occurrence of extensive porpoising, inducing large vertical oscillations of the car,” the Italian said. 

“The level of porpoising was exacerbated by the conditions in which the car operated during the race, and it was not anticipated based on what we had seen in practice and based on the predictions of the car operating window in the race.

“Based on the data we had acquired in practice, we do not believe we took excessive risks in terms of ride height and we also added a safety margin for qualifying and the race, compared to practice, in terms of clearance to the ground. However, the safety margin was negated by the unexpected onset of the large vertical oscillations, which caused the car to touch the ground.

“The porpoising condition that the car developed in the race was also a difficult one to mitigate, as even a reduction in speed – an action that, in theory, should increase clearance to the ground – was only effective in some parts of the track but in others was actually counterproductive.”

Could a repeat happen in Qatar?

There have been suggestions that McLaren could be compromised for the final two races of the season, however, Stella is confident that such an issue won’t be repeated.

“The conditions we experienced last weekend and which led to the onset of porpoising and excess of grounding, compared to what was expected, are very specific to the operating window of the car in Vegas and the circuit characteristics,” he explained.

“We have a well-established and consolidated way of setting up the car and we are confident that this will lead us to an optimal plan for the coming races, starting from the Lusail International Circuit.

“Nevertheless, we learn from every lesson and the one in Las Vegas has been able to provide some useful information about the operating window of the car and the porpoising regime.”

What about McLaren using team orders?

Stella quickly dismissed the notion that McLaren could change their approach to team orders and start favouring Norris, who is now 24 points clear of both Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

“No, there is no reason to do so,” he insisted. “We have always said that as long as the maths does not say otherwise, we would leave it up to the two drivers to fight for their chance at the final victory, and that is how it will be in Qatar.

“Let’s not forget that if someone had told us at the start of the season that we would find ourselves in this situation with two races to go, we would have signed up for it! Now we are going to fight for the double world championship with confidence and awareness of our strength.”