McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has revealed that “extensive porpoising” was the primary factor behind the team’s double disqualification in Las Vegas.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were both wiped from the race classification in Vegas, some four hours after the race concluded, after both cars failed post-race technical checks.
Post-race analysis of both McLaren cars from the FIA found excessive skid plank wear on both cars, with the minimum thickness falling below the 9mm threshold. As a result, the matter was referred to the stewards, who disqualified both cars.
The verdict has huge ramifications for the title race with Norris – who was 30 points clear of Piastri and 42 ahead of Max Verstappen – now just 24 points ahead of his rivals.
In a Q&A on the McLaren website, Stella explained what occurred during the Vegas race: "The specific cause that led to the situation was the unexpected occurrence of extensive porpoising, inducing large vertical oscillations of the car.
“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."
Porpoising – a phenomenon that first emerged in the 2022 season – sees cars violently bounce up and down on the straights, caused by a disruption in the airflow under the car.
However, despite the fact that this forthcoming weekend in Qatar hosts the final sprint race of the season (in which more competitive sessions result in a higher risk of excessive skid plank wear), Stella believes the problem will not recur in Lusail.
“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.”
Stella added that McLaren have no intention of changing their approach regarding driver prioritisation, despite Verstappen now being within a race victory of Norris.
"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," he said.
"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."
