F1 | Stella: “Porpoising worrying from the first laps, but it will not appear in Qatar”
The Italian team principal has clarified the causes behind the double disqualification of the two McLaren cars at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Andrea Stella admitted that the corrective actions taken by the drivers to protect the plank wear did not work as expected, but he reassured fans that the issue will not reoccur in Lusail. The two drivers will continue to be free to battle for the Formula 1 world title.
Andrea Stella offered a detailed explanation of McLaren’s position after the dramatic end to the Las Vegas race. The team completed its internal review and identified the reasons that led to the unexpected exclusion of both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from the final results. Andrea Stella stressed that he does not expect the team to face a similar situation again at the American street circuit, and he reaffirmed that there will be no changes to the team’s driver-management policy for the remaining two rounds of the F1 season.
“Have you identified a specific cause behind the excessive rear skid-block wear that led to the Las Vegas disqualification?”
“The specific cause that led to this situation was the unexpected appearance of large vertical oscillations of the car. The level of bouncing was amplified by the conditions in which the car operated during the race, a behaviour that was not predicted based on what we observed in free practice and according to the performance window we had defined for the race.”
“Based on the data collected during practice, we did not believe we were exposed to excessive ride-height risks, but we still added a safety margin for qualifying and the race. The sudden onset of vertical oscillations cancelled out that margin, and the car made contact with the track surface. The porpoising condition that developed during the race was difficult to mitigate because even reducing the speed — which in theory should increase the ride height — proved effective only in certain parts of the track, while in others it was counterproductive.”
“Did you receive any early warning during the race?”
“From the very first laps, the data clearly highlighted that the level of porpoising was concerning. We managed to monitor the situation more accurately on Lando’s car through the telemetry data, while it was more difficult on Oscar’s due to the failure of one of the sensors we use to assess the porpoising level.”
“We realised relatively early that this level of bouncing was generating high wear energy, which is why both drivers began adopting corrective measures in several parts of the circuit. Unfortunately, due to the characteristics of the track, most of these actions were not sufficiently effective in reducing the porpoising.”
“Were you surprised by the decision taken by the stewards?”
“We checked together with the technical delegate that the skid-block thickness measurements were correct. Even though the excessive wear was relatively small and localised to a single point (0.12 mm for Lando and 0.26 mm for Oscar), the regulations clearly state that the rear skid blocks must be at least 9 mm thick at the end of the race in every point. Unlike sporting or financial regulations, there is no proportionality in the application of penalties for technical infringements.”
“The FIA itself acknowledged that this lack of proportionality should be addressed in the future to ensure that minor or accidental technical breaches, which bring minimal or no performance benefit, do not result in disproportionate consequences. It is also important to remember that the FIA recognised that the infringement was unintentional, that there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules, and that mitigating circumstances existed, as we explained to the stewards.”
“Do you think the same conditions could occur again in Qatar?”
“The conditions we experienced last weekend, which led to the emergence of the porpoising phenomenon, were very specific and related to the operating window of the car on the Las Vegas track and the characteristics of that circuit. We have a well-established method for setting up the car, and we are confident that it will allow us to avoid any issues in the upcoming races, starting from Lusail. However, we learn from every lesson, and what happened in Las Vegas provided us with useful information about the operating window of the car and the porpoising regime.”
“Will the team change its approach in the pursuit of performance?”
“What happened in Las Vegas was due to an anomaly in the behaviour of the car; it was not the result of an excessive or unreasonable pursuit of performance. Our methods and our mentality as a team, with a strong focus on performance, are what brought us to where we are today — winning two consecutive Constructors’ Championships and having two drivers leading the world championship with two races to go. As a team, we constantly learn from experience and adjust our approach every time, and we will definitely use all the information gathered during the Las Vegas weekend.”
“What is the team’s mindset after such a setback?”
“Walking through the factory this week, I was particularly impressed by how deep and strong the cultural foundations of the team are. The reaction was entirely focused on learning, avoiding negativity, and ensuring that we come out stronger from situations like this. I was very pleased to see how the team has matured into a cohesive group; episodes like this help you grow.”
“They are painful, there is no point hiding it, but pain is also part of our sport. At McLaren, there is no culture of pointing fingers, but rather one of continuous progress and growth. I am sure that every one of us is eager to return to the track in Qatar with the goal of providing Lando and Oscar with the best car possible.”
“With Verstappen only 24 points behind Lando, will anything change in the management of the drivers?”
“No, there is no reason to change anything. We have always said that as long as mathematics does not say otherwise, we will allow our two drivers to fight freely for the final victory, and that is exactly how it will be in Qatar. Let’s not forget that if someone had told us at the start of the season that we would reach this point with two races to go, we would have signed immediately! We are ready to fight for the world championship with confidence and full awareness of our strength.”
Leave a Reply