Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have spoken out following their disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Norris finished second behind Max Verstappen, with Piastri in fourth place. However, both drivers’ cars failed post-race technical inspections due to excessive skid-block wear.
The FIA confirmed that this issue led to the disqualification, nullifying their results and shaking up the championship standings with only two races remaining. Norris now holds a 24-point lead over Piastri and Verstappen before the upcoming Qatar race and the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Norris expressed his disappointment, citing car issues that resulted in the disqualification and the loss of valuable points. Piastri also expressed frustration at the outcome but emphasized the need to regroup and focus on maximizing points in the remaining races.
McLaren issued an apology to Norris and Piastri for the breach of technical regulations that caused the disqualification. The team explained that the skid thickness on both cars was slightly below the required minimum due to unexpected car behavior during the race.
FIA scrutineers discovered that the planks under the McLaren cars were below the mandated 9mm thickness, indicating an illegally low ride height. This discovery led to the disqualification of both cars from the final race classification.
Despite the setback, McLaren remains determined for the last two races of the season.
