Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have spoken out following their disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where both McLaren drivers were penalized for technical infractions after the race.
Norris claimed second place behind Max Verstappen, while Piastri finished fourth, but their cars failed post-race checks due to excessive skid-block wear. This disqualification nullified their results and shook up the championship standings with only two races remaining.
Currently, Norris leads Piastri and Verstappen by 24 points ahead of the upcoming Qatar race and the season finale in Abu Dhabi. In a post-race statement, Norris expressed frustration over losing valuable points and emphasized the team’s focus on delivering a strong performance in the upcoming races.
Similarly, Piastri expressed disappointment over the disqualification and emphasized the need to regroup and push for maximum points in the final two rounds, tracks where they have performed well previously.
McLaren issued an apology to Norris and Piastri, acknowledging a breach of Technical Regulations related to skid thickness. The team explained that the unexpected high levels of porpoising during the race led to the skid wear issue, unintentionally resulting in the breach.
FIA scrutineers found that the planks beneath the McLaren cars were below the required minimum thickness of 9mm, indicating an illegal ride height. This discovery led to the disqualification of both cars from the final race classification.
Despite the setback, McLaren remains focused on the remaining races of the season, aiming to bounce back from the recent disqualification and finish the championship on a strong note.