McLaren Pinpoints Unexpected Porpoising as Root Cause of Las Vegas Disqualification

Woking, UK – McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella has provided a comprehensive explanation for the double disqualification of its drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, at the recent Las Vegas Grand Prix. Following an exhaustive internal investigation, Stella attributed the technical breach to unexpected and extensive porpoising, which led to excessive wear of the cars’ underbody skid plates. The findings, released ahead of the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix, shed light on the circumstances that saw both McLaren entries removed from the final classification of a crucial early-season race in the 2025 Formula 1 calendar.

The dramatic post-race scrutiny in Las Vegas resulted in a significant blow to McLaren’s burgeoning championship aspirations. Lando Norris, who had impressively secured a second-place finish, and Oscar Piastri, who had driven to a strong fourth, were stripped of their points, marking a rare double disqualification for a front-running team. This decision, stemming from technical checks that revealed their cars’ skid plates had worn beyond the permissible limits, had immediate repercussions in the Drivers’ Championship. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the reigning champion, was the primary beneficiary, now drawing level on points with Piastri and closing to within 24 points of Norris in what is shaping up to be a tightly contested 2025 season.

The technical regulation in question mandates that the rear skid plates, critical components of the car’s underbody designed to maintain a minimum ride height and prevent teams from running their cars too low for aerodynamic advantage, must retain a minimum thickness of 9mm at all points at the end of a race. Post-race inspections revealed that Norris’s car had worn by 0.12 mm over the allowed tolerance in one location, while Piastri’s car showed a slightly greater wear of 0.26 mm. Despite these being marginal infringements, the FIA regulations are explicit, leaving no room for discretion in such technical breaches.

Andrea Stella detailed the team’s understanding of the incident, explaining that the issue became apparent early in the Las Vegas race. "From the early laps of the race, it was clear from the data that the level of unexpected porpoising would be a concern," Stella stated in an interview released by the team’s press department. Porpoising, an aerodynamic phenomenon inherent to ground-effect cars, involves rapid vertical oscillations as the car’s underbody repeatedly stalls and re-attaches its airflow, causing the car to ‘bounce’ or ‘porpoise’ on the track. This violent movement inevitably increases the impact between the car’s floor and the track surface, leading to accelerated wear of the skid plates.

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The team’s ability to monitor the situation was further complicated during the race. "We were able to monitor the situation better on Lando’s car using telemetry data, but it was made more difficult on Oscar’s car, after we lost one of the sensors we use to establish the level of grounding," Stella elaborated. The loss of a crucial sensor on Piastri’s car meant the team had less precise real-time data to assess the extent of the porpoising and subsequent wear. Despite this, both drivers were instructed to take "remedial actions" in various parts of the circuit. These actions, which typically involve adjusting driving lines, lifting off the throttle earlier, or making minor in-car adjustments to mitigate the oscillations, proved largely ineffective. "Unfortunately, we also saw that, because of the car operating window and the circuit characteristics, most of these actions were not effective enough in reducing porpoising," Stella confirmed.

The challenging build-up to the Las Vegas Grand Prix also played a role in the team’s data collection and set-up decisions. Free Practice 1 was heavily disrupted by red flags, and Friday’s practice sessions were held in damp conditions, limiting crucial track time for teams to gather data on the new circuit’s characteristics and their cars’ performance window. Despite these limitations, Stella firmly denied that McLaren had taken an overly aggressive or risky approach with their car’s set-up, particularly regarding ride height.

"The specific cause that led to the situation was the unexpected occurrence of extensive porpoising, inducing large vertical oscillations of the car," the Italian team principal explained. "The level of porpoising was exacerbated by the conditions in which the car operated during the race, and it was not anticipated based on what we had seen in practice and based on the predictions of the car operating window in the race." He added, "Based on the data we had acquired in practice, we do not believe we took excessive risks in terms of ride height and we also added a safety margin for qualifying and the race, compared to practice, in terms of clearance to the ground. However, the safety margin was negated by the unexpected onset of the large vertical oscillations, which caused the car to touch the ground." Compounding the problem, Stella noted that the porpoising condition in the race was particularly challenging to mitigate, as even a reduction in speed – an action typically expected to increase clearance to the ground – was "only effective in some parts of the track but in others was actually counterproductive."

While McLaren has accepted the penalty, Stella used the opportunity to highlight a broader issue within the sport’s regulatory framework. He noted the marginal nature of the breach and indicated that the FIA also acknowledged the team’s lack of intent to deliberately circumvent the rules. "We verified together with the technical delegate, that the measurement of the skid thickness was correct," he said. "Even if the excessive wear is relatively minor and in only one location, the regulation is very clear that the rear skids need to be at least 9mm at the end of the race in every location."

Stella then called for a review of the proportionality of penalties for technical infringements, suggesting a disparity compared to sporting or financial regulations. "Unlike sporting or financial rules – there is no proportionality in the application of penalties for technical regulation infringements. The FIA itself has admitted that this lack of proportionality should be addressed in the future to ensure that minor and accidental technical infringements, with minimal or no performance benefits, do not lead to disproportionate consequences." He further emphasized the FIA’s acknowledgment: "It should also be remembered that the FIA itself emphasised that the infringement was not intentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and there were also mitigating circumstances, as we explained to the event Stewards."

Looking ahead to the remaining two rounds of the 2025 season, starting with the Qatar Grand Prix, McLaren remains confident that a similar issue will not recur. The team believes the specific conditions encountered in Las Vegas were unique to that event. "The conditions we experienced last weekend and which led to the onset of porpoising and excess of grounding, compared to what was expected, are very specific to the operating window of the car in Vegas and the circuit characteristics," Stella affirmed. McLaren maintains that its established methods for car set-up will ensure optimal performance in upcoming races. "We have a well-established and consolidated way of setting up the car and we are confident that this will lead us to an optimal plan for the coming races, starting from the Lusail International Circuit."

Despite the setback, the team views the Las Vegas incident as a valuable learning experience. "Nevertheless, we learn from every lesson and the one in Las Vegas has been able to provide some useful information about the operating window of the car and the porpoising regime," Stella concluded. This data will be crucial as McLaren continues its fight for the 2025 Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships, with Norris and Piastri aiming to reclaim lost ground against their rivals in the final two races. The disqualification in Las Vegas served as a stark reminder of the razor-thin margins and uncompromising technical regulations that define Formula 1, even for the most minor of deviations.

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Jonas Leo

Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.

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