Formula 1 fans couldn't resist poking fun at McLaren after a social media post during the Las Vegas Grand Prix didn't age well.
After Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri crossed the line to finish second and fourth, the Woking outfit's cars were found to be in breach of Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations due to excessive plank wear, leading to a double disqualification for the team.
"The rear skids were re-measured in the presence of the Stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and those measurements confirmed that the skids did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those measured originally by the Technical Delegate," the Stewards noted.
While the Stewards added that "the FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the breach was unintentional and that there was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations," the team was still handed a double disqualification.
During the race, McLaren shared a photo of the rear of Piastri's car with the caption, "Sparks Fly", which unfortunately became the butt of fans' jokes.
"Sparks flying, there goes the skid thickness," one fan commented, while another wrote: "This aged like yogurt in the sun."
Another commenter wrote, "The McLaren social media man/woman needs to do a try out for stand up comedy, f'ing hilarious," and someone else posted: "They're not sparks, they're championship points."
"Too many apparently," wrote someone else, while another added: "Aged like a $2 bottle of wine."
McLaren now heads to Qatar for the first of the final two rounds of the season. The double disqualification puts the drivers' championship in jeopardy for the Zak Brown-led team, as Max Verstappen's Las Vegas victory puts him equal on points with Piastri. Both now trail championship leader Norris by just 24 points.
The Qatar Grand Prix weekend will host the final sprint race of the season, giving the drivers more opportunities to pick up crucial points ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
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