Did McLaren Know It Risked Disqualification Before the Las Vegas Grand Prix?

Short Excerpt: Radio messages between Lando Norris and McLaren suggest the team was aware of potential plank wear issues during the Las Vegas GP, prompting suspicions they anticipated the risk of exclusion.

Amid McLaren’s dramatic double disqualification for excessive plank wear at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, analysis of the team’s radio messages with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri points strongly toward a growing awareness of the risk—even before the chequered flag fell. The evidence suggests McLaren realized too late that their aggressive low ride height, coupled with limited dry running and high porpoising, put them in danger of FIA exclusion, sparking coded and sometimes contradictory instructions over team radio throughout the race.

Early Warnings: Formation Lap Suspicion

Multiple sources confirm McLaren detected hints of trouble as early as the formation lap. Onboard messages reportedly included instructions telling Norris not to take Turn 14 flat out—a clear sign the team was already managing floor contact and, indirectly, plank wear risk before the race even started.

Technical analysts on Viaplay and international F1 outlets noted that sensor data gathered with full fuel tanks (a scenario not replicated in limited practice) triggered internal concern, with a McLaren engineer warning the floor was scraping too much during reconnaissance. This early caution set the tone for an ultra-conservative approach during the race itself.

Race Management: “Coded” Messages and Hidden Intentions

During the race, Norris and Piastri received relentless instructions to lift and coast through specific high-risk corners, most notably Turns 5, 11, and 17. While these were initially disguised as “tyre management” or “fuel save” calls, the emerging consensus is that McLaren was quietly battling to protect the legality of their plank.

Norris was repeatedly told to slow more through key corners—sometimes reducing speed by nearly 50 km/h—as the team sought to limit further wear on the underside skid blocks.

In Piastri’s case, outright lifting was encouraged mid-race at the most aggressive sections for floor impact.

As Norris’s pace dropped dramatically at the end, the pit wall played up a “fuel save” message, which many believe was actually code for “save the floor.”

Data and Strategic Decision-Making

McLaren lacked sufficient pre-race long-run data due to wet practices and disrupted sessions, but they were not alone in gambling with aggressive set-ups. Compared to Ferrari and Mercedes, however, McLaren’s ride height choices left them with less margin for error.

As the race unfolded and sensor data fed back evidence of escalating plank temperatures and contact, engineers focused all tactical communications on minimizing further damage. Despite this, Norris and Piastri still crossed the line with less than the required 9mm plank thickness, triggering their post-race exclusion.

Post-Race Confirmation and Public Statements

Official FIA documents reveal that both Norris and Piastri’s planks were well below the permissible limit. Post-race, McLaren admitted in statements and debriefs that they became “aware of the risk during the race,” but communications and hindsight analysis show their first warnings likely came much earlier—possibly even before the start.

“We became aware of the risk during the race, but at that point the damage was already done. We tried to manage it, but the regulations leave no margin.”
— Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal

Notably, the decision to disguise plank concerns as “fuel saving” or “tyre management” was a strategic, perhaps necessary, deception—intended both to mask the risk from competitors and to direct the drivers’ behaviour as discreetly as possible.