McLaren Drivers Norris and Piastri DQ’d from Las Vegas GP After Skid Block Violation

When Lando Norris crossed the finish line in second place at the 2025 Las Vegas Grand PrixLas Vegas Strip Circuit on Sunday night, he thought he’d secured a vital podium in the championship fight. Four hours later, his result vanished — along with Oscar Piastri’s fourth-place finish — after both McLaren Racing cars were disqualified for violating skid block regulations. The decision, confirmed at 11:00 PM PST on November 23, 2025, didn’t just erase points. It reshaped the entire 2025 Drivers’ Championship, leaving Norris and Piastri with zero points from a race they’d dominated in qualifying and early racing. The twist? Neither driver made a mistake. The problem was hidden beneath the car — in a piece of titanium no bigger than a smartphone.

What Happened Beneath the Cars?

The FIA’s technical delegates found that the rearmost skid blocks on both the McLaren MCL39 cars measured just 8.1mm and 8.3mm thick — below the mandatory 9mm minimum. These blocks, mounted under the car’s floor, are designed to limit ground clearance and prevent teams from gaining aerodynamic advantage by running too low. Excessive wear means the car’s floor was too close to the track surface for too long. And that’s exactly what happened. According to McLaren Racing’s own post-race statement, both cars suffered unprecedented porpoising — a violent up-and-down oscillation — that wasn’t seen in any practice session. The team suspects accidental floor damage sustained during the race worsened the effect, causing the titanium skid blocks to grind down far beyond normal limits.

"We are investigating the reasons for this behaviour of the car," said Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal. "The red flags and wet weather during practice limited our dry running, which meant we didn’t fully understand how the car would behave under race conditions. And then, during the race, we found visible damage to the floor on both cars — something we didn’t see in qualifying or FP3. That damage amplified the porpoising. It was a perfect storm."

Qualifying Glory, Race Ruin

Just 24 hours earlier, Norris had delivered a masterclass in qualifying. With yellow flags on his final lap and changing grip levels lap by lap, he snatched pole position — McLaren’s first in Las Vegas since 2021. "Lando can be very proud of his Pole position," read an internal team memo. "It means the preparation work we have done is paying off." He was visibly emotional. The team had spent months fixing the MCL39’s notorious porpoising issues after a disastrous 2024 season. Las Vegas, a track that had historically punished McLaren’s aerodynamic design, was finally yielding results.

But the race exposed a flaw no simulation had predicted. As the track temperature rose and tire wear increased, the car’s floor became unstable. Norris reported feeling "a constant thumping," while Piastri described the car as "bouncing like a basketball on concrete." YouTube analysts from F1Unchained noted "a lot of sparks flying" — a visual indicator of the floor scraping the track. That’s what the FIA’s sensors picked up too. The skid block wear wasn’t just excessive — it was catastrophic.

Why This Isn’t Just a Technicality

This isn’t the first time a team has been disqualified for skid block wear. Ferrari faced a similar fate in China earlier in 2025, sparking debates about whether the FIA was being overly strict. But this time, the stakes were higher. Norris had entered Las Vegas with a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship. Piastri was just 8 points behind third-place Charles Leclerc. With only the Abu Dhabi Grand PrixYas Marina Circuit remaining, losing 18 points between them was devastating. Norris dropped from first to third. Piastri slipped from fourth to sixth. The championship window, once wide open, is now a sliver.

"It’s not just about points," said a senior F1 technical analyst who spoke anonymously. "It’s about momentum. Norris had the car, the confidence, the team behind him. Now he’s got to win Abu Dhabi and hope Verstappen crashes out — and even then, he’s behind on tiebreakers. This isn’t just a penalty. It’s a psychological blow."

McLaren’s Response and What Comes Next

McLaren didn’t just accept the disqualification. They fought it. Their legal team submitted evidence of the floor damage, telemetry logs showing the porpoising spike, and even photos from onboard cameras showing debris contact during lap 18. The stewards reviewed everything — and still ruled against them. The regulation is clear: if the skid block is below 9mm, you’re out. No exceptions.

"We apologize to Lando and Oscar," Stella said in a team-wide email. "This is on us. We didn’t prepare the car for this scenario. We didn’t anticipate the damage. We failed them."

Now, McLaren is running a full forensic analysis. Engineers are comparing the MCL39’s floor design to those of Red Bull and Ferrari, looking for hidden differences in stiffness, material composition, or mounting geometry. Preliminary findings are due before Abu Dhabi — and if they find a systemic flaw, they may have to redesign the floor entirely. That could mean a major upgrade for the final race… or a complete rebuild.

The Bigger Picture

This disqualification is McLaren’s first double DQ since 2021 — and it comes at the worst possible time. The 2025 season has been the most competitive in years, with Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari trading wins. Red Bull’s Verstappen now leads the championship by 11 points. Ferrari’s Leclerc is just 3 points behind Norris. Every point matters. And now, two of McLaren’s best performers are effectively out of the title fight.

For fans, it’s a reminder that F1 isn’t just about speed. It’s about precision. About millimeters. About titanium slivers that can change careers. For Norris and Piastri, it’s a bitter lesson: even when you’re fastest on the track, the car beneath you can betray you.