F1 | McLaren reveals MCL39 damage after disqualification: could issues persist in Qatar?. Andrea Stella explains the McLaren MCL39 damage that led to the Las Vegas disqualification.

After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Andrea Stella detailed the damage sustained by the McLaren floor that led to the double disqualification. The weekend in Las Vegas ended in the worst possible way for McLaren: both cars were disqualified due to excessive plank wear. With only two races remaining, this penalty has a massive impact on the drivers’ championship, leaving Max Verstappen 24 points behind leader Lando Norris. Andrea Stella also offered apologies following a serious misjudgment by the team during a crucial moment of the season.

He stated, “We apologize to Lando and Oscar for today’s loss of points, at a critical time in their championship battles, after two very strong performances throughout the weekend. As a team, we also apologize to our partners and fans, whose support means a great deal to us. While this result is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the final two races of the season.”

Possible car damage after the race

The issues trace back to the practice sessions: the limited laps completed in race simulation did not provide enough data. The MCL39 arrived at the race with an overly aggressive aerodynamic setup, a suspension configuration that was too soft, and a reduced ride height. This combination caused significant porpoising, making the floor contact the track far more than intended.

Andrea Stella explained, “We were found in breach of Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations, which requires a minimum skid thickness of 9 mm. Lando Norris’ car fell short by up to 0.12 mm at the rear of the skid, while Oscar Piastri’s was down by up to 0.26 mm. During the race, both cars experienced unexpectedly high levels of porpoising, not observed in testing sessions, which resulted in excessive contact with the track. We are investigating the causes of this behavior, including the impact of accidental damage found on both cars after the race, which increased floor movement.”

The team hopes that the intense stresses have not affected other components, as that would pose a major problem given that the final two races are consecutive, leaving very little time to identify and potentially replace compromised parts. Mistakes of this magnitude are difficult to forgive, and losing the championship would be a huge setback for a team that should have dominated without rivals.