The 2025 F1 season saw a major twist, as McLaren suffered a double disqualification in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The massive development blew the title race wide open, with Red Bull star Max Verstappen being right back in contention. Trouble seems to be piling on for the Papayas, as their setback in Vegas could spell danger for the last two races.
McLaren Could Lose a Lot of Pace in Qatar and Abu Dhabi
During the stewards’ post-race inspection on the two MCL39s, it was found that the skid blocks under the cars were under the minimum regulated thickness of 9 mm, with one car measured at 8.88 mm.
McLaren argued that the excessive wear was unintentional and attributed it to unexpected porpoising around the uneven Las Vegas street circuit. They further tied the infringement to a lack of preparation due to the weather circumstances over the weekend. However, their defense was all to no avail, as they were still disqualified, despite the stewards believing that it was unintentional.
Moreover, the incident could spell trouble for the British outfit, as outlined by Formularacers on X.
“McLaren could become more conservative with their floor clearance moving forward, to avoid another DSQ,” they tweeted. “Of course, a more cautious approach risks impacting performance.”
Modern F1 cars rely heavily on their floors to generate downforce through the phenomenon known as ground effect. The closer the car is to the ground (without touching it), the more effective the ground effect becomes.
McLaren’s possible “conservative” approach suggests it could run higher setups in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to avoid plank wear. However, raising the floor by any measure decreases the ground effect and, consequently, also reduces downforce.
Other alternatives, such as stiffening the suspension, reducing rake, or increasing the heave spring load, all cost performance.
Providing some relief is the fact that the tracks in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are not street circuits, meaning they aren’t as bumpy as the Strip circuit in Vegas. Therefore, McLaren could avoid facing similar plank-wear issues in the Middle East.
Conditions in Doha and Abu Dhabi should also be appropriate for race prep, so the issue that the team highlighted in its defense in Vegas might not be relevant during the last two races.
The title race is wide open, and the last two Grand Prix should be packed with excitement. Lando Norris leads the championship standings with 390 points, and Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen follow with 366 each.
