Lando Norris radio message before his F1 Las Vegas GP disqualification exposed a McLaren ‘weakness’

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McLaren racers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified from P2 and P4 in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as they lost crucial points in the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship.

Norris remains clear of the chasing pack entering the final two rounds of the 2025 F1 season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi over the next two weeks. But rather than leaving Sin City with a lead of 30 points over Piastri and 42 over Red Bull rival Max Verstappen, they are both 24 behind.

Verstappen comfortably won the Las Vegas GP to stay in contention for a fifth championship in a row. But the Dutchman’s delight doubled after the chequered flag, as Norris and Piastri were disqualified from the Las Vegas GP owing to excessive wear levels on their skid blocks.

A breach of Article 3.5.9 of the F1 technical regulations obliges an automatic disqualification from the race if an underfloor skid block has a thickness below 9mm. It is said that McLaren telling Norris to lift and coast in the Las Vegas GP alerted the FIA’s stewards to check his car.

Lando Norris’ Las Vegas Grand Prix disqualification exposed McLaren’s ‘clear communication problem’

Norris’ plank was found below the minimum thickness at the right-hand front (8.88mm) and right-hand rear (8.93mm). Piastri’s skid block was even found below the minimum thickness at the left-hand front (8.96mm), right-hand front (8.74mm) and right-hand rear (8.90mm).

READ MORE: Every error that cost Lando Norris points in his failed 2024 F1 title challenge

But Christian Danner believes McLaren could have avoided Norris and Piastri registering the team’s first-ever double disqualification from any F1 race in the Las Vegas GP, had they been warned to lift and coast far earlier in the race when the team first realised they were at risk.

“The first mistake was setting the car too low,” Danner told Motorsport-Magazin. “And the second was not using the data they were given.

“If, as a data engineer, I see that I’m approaching the critical point in the wear of the underbody, then I have to immediately report to the pit wall and say, ‘Guys, from now on it is lift and coast, otherwise we’ll be out of the race’.

“They told him to lift and coast more or less eight laps from the end. To me, this looks like a clear communication problem within the team. This is a weakness that goes far beyond just this one mistake.”

FIA should change its rules after McLaren’s double disqualification from the Las Vegas GP

Norris and Piastri’s disqualifications from the Las Vegas GP also highlighted an issue with the penalty that the FIA stewards must issue after any breach of Article 3.5.9 of the F1 technical regulations. Hans-Joachim Stuck does not feel the penalty they merited fit the team’s crime.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Stuck told ServusTV: “For me, it’s a flaw in the regulations. It has to be penalised because it’s a rule, but the regulations need to be changed.”

Any breach of Article 3.5.9 obliges an automatic disqualification from the results for any skid block found to have a thickness below 9mm, regardless of the extent or the reason. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese GP, as three points were found in breach.

McLaren duo Norris and Piastri unexpectedly suffered from porpoising during the Las Vegas GP, which caused their cars to make excessive contact with the ground. McLaren also found damage after last Sunday’s race, which increased the amount of movement from the floor.