F1 | Did McLaren’s disqualification reveal an illegal system? What really happened in Las Vegas. The disqualification of both McLaren cars at the 2025 Las Vegas GP has raised questions over a possible technical infringement.

McLaren disqualification exposes possible technical violation at Las Vegas GP

The Las Vegas weekend turned into a nightmare for McLaren as both cars were disqualified due to excessive plank wear. According to team principal Andrea Stella, the issue arose from a team misjudgment: McLaren struggled to find the correct setup over the weekend. A lack of a full-run simulation during practice, combined with unstable temperatures, left the MCL39 underprepared for the race.

The car ran with a ride height that was too low and a heavier aerodynamic setup designed for the rain on Saturday. The excessive downforce amplified porpoising, causing abnormal plank wear. Las Vegas features one of the fastest layouts in the calendar, with two extremely long straights. At such high speeds, the car generated excessive vertical force, causing the floor to scrape the asphalt and wear faster than allowed. Additionally, the suspension setup appeared incorrectly tuned to handle the aerodynamic load, leading to a pronounced lowering of the car’s platform. Finally, the race pace was significantly faster than in the past, leaving the team facing unexpected conditions.

Coming at the third-to-last race of the season, this disqualification inevitably raises eyebrows, especially given the situation in Brazil earlier in the year.

In Brazil, teams had an illegal solution to protect the plank

According to Autosport Web, some teams in Brazil had found an illegal method to reduce plank wear. The trick reportedly involved a system that could heat the titanium plank plates, causing them to expand slightly and protrude from their mounts. These expanded plates would then touch the asphalt before the plank itself, protecting it from excessive wear.

The FIA identified this device on several cars in Brazil and immediately banned its use.

In light of these precedents, one might wonder if McLaren had previously relied on such a system and, now that it was banned, is paying the price. What happened in Las Vegas, during the twenty-second race of the season, should not be acceptable, and the misjudgment could indicate tension within Woking, especially with Max Verstappen closing to just 24 points behind Lando Norris.