MCLAREN EXPLAINS REASONS FOR ITS SHOCK DOUBLE DISQUALIFICATION FROM THE LAS VEGAS

Hot on the heel of McLaren's shock double disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Andrea Stella stressed that the Woking-based outfit did not attempt to circumvent the regulations, but it was simply caught out by the lack of running across the practice sessions which meant that the engineers could not assess the optimal ride height.

Championship runaway leader Lando Norris finished second at Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix behind reigning champion Max Verstappen.

His team-mate Oscar Piastri endured a more challenging evening at the Las Vegas Strip, ending up fourth, which saw him lose further valuable points in the championship battle.

However, the FIA issued a document after the 50-lap race in Sin City, confirming that McLaren would face a double investigation for both of Norris and Piastri’s cars following the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The FIA's document read: "The skid wear of car numbers 81 and 04 was checked. The rearmost skid was measured on both cars according to the team’s legality documents submission in accordance with TD039 M, item 1.2 b) i).

"The measured thickness was less than 9 mm on both cars, which is the minimum thickness required by TR Article 3.5.9 e)."

After a lengthy investigation, the governing body confirmed that the British and the Australian driver have been disqualified from the 50-lap Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Reflecting on McLaren's shock result at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, team boss Andrea Stella stressed that the Woking-based outfit did not attempt to circumvent the regulations, but it was simply caught out by the lack of running across the practice sessions which meant that the engineers could not assess the optimal ride height.

"Following the Las Vegas Grand Prix, we were found in breach of Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations, which requires a minimum of 9mm skid thickness. Car 4 was found in breach by a maximum of 0.12mm of the rearmost skid and Car 81 by a maximum of 0.26mm of the rearmost skid.

"During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising not seen in the Practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground. We are investigating the reasons for this behaviour of the car, including the effect of accidental damage sustained by both cars, which we found after the race, and that led to an increase of movement of the floor.

"As the FIA noted, the breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed.

"We apologise to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points today, at a critical time in their Championship campaigns after two strong performances from them all weekend. As a team, we also apologise to our partners and fans, whose support means so much.

"While this outcome is extremely disappointing, we remain fully focused on the last two races of the season," concluded the Italian.

- Balazs Szabo

F1: LANDO NORRIS AND OSCAR PIASTRI DISQUALIFIED FROM LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX

File photo. McLaren F1 drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Photo: MPS AGENCY PHOTOSPORT

Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the Las Vegas Grand Prix and roared back into the Formula 1 title battle after the shock disqualification of McLaren's championship leader Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri.

Norris, who started on pole and finished second, and fourth-placed Piastri were ruled out for excessive skid plank wear hours after the race had ended and the podium champagne been sprayed.

The development left Britain's Norris 24 points clear of four-times world champion Verstappen and Australian Piastri, now tied, with two rounds to go in Qatar and Abu Dhabi and 58 points available.

Stewards ruled out the McLaren drivers after a post-race FIA inspection found the thickness of the plank assembly was below the permitted minimum.

The FIA said it strongly believed the breach was unintentional and there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules.

"It's frustrating to lose so many points," said Norris in a team statement.

"As a team, we're always pushing to find as much performance as we can, and we clearly didn't get that balance right today. Nothing I can do will change that now, instead full focus switches to Qatar, where we'll aim to go out and deliver the best possible performance in every session."

George Russell, last year's winner of the floodlit race and like Norris making his 150th start, moved up to second with teammate Kimi Antonelli third after starting 17th on an excellent afternoon for the Italian rookie.

Max Verstappen. Photo: Photosport

'Need a bit of luck'

Antonelli was fourth at the flag but had dropped to fifth after a five-second penalty was applied for a jumped start.

Norris, who finished 20.741 seconds behind Verstappen, can still wrap things up in Qatar next weekend but the reigning champion is within striking distance again and can sniff the chance of a fifth title in a row.

"It depends a lot on how our car will perform in Qatar and Abu Dhabi," Verstappen said before McLaren were disqualified. "Abu Dhabi is a very good McLaren track, but we'll see.

"It (the gap) is also not something that will be easily overturned. We need a bit of luck for that, but we can still win races and we'll try."

McLaren have already clinched the constructors' crown for the second year in a row.

It was the 69th win of Verstappen's career and his sixth of the season, as well as his 125th podium and eighth in a row in the 150th grand prix of Red Bull's partnership with Honda.

Lando Norris during the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Photo: Getty Images via AFP / Alex Bierens de Haan

Norris lost the lead to Verstappen at the start, dropping to third when he ran wide at the first corner and opened the door for the Dutch driver and Russell.

He retook second from Russell on the 34th of 50 laps but then had to manage fuel to the finish.

"I let Max have a win," he joked after being driven to the podium with Norris and Russell in a LEGO pink Cadillac convertible driven by actor Terry Crews as fireworks lit up the sky over the Strip.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc moved up to fourth in the adjusted results with Williams' Carlos Sainz fifth.

Isack Hadjar was sixth for Racing Bulls and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton seventh and eighth while Haas pair Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman completed the top 10.

30 LAWSON Liam (nzl), Visa Cash App RB F1 Team VCARB02, action during the 2025 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Photo: Joao Filipe/Photosport

Piastri dropped from fifth to seventh on the opening lap after contact with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, who plunged to last with a badly damaged car.

Lawson now officially finishes 14th.

Verstappen was 20 seconds clear of the field by lap 23 and pitted at the halfway point, rejoining in the lead after Russell and Norris had switched already to the hard tyre.

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll was taken out by Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto at the start when the Brazilian rookie dived aggressively into the first corner and ran out of road, with both retiring.

Bortoleto was given a five place grid penalty for Qatar.

Alpine's Pierre Gasly was also a spinner at the start and the virtual safety car was triggered on the second lap for marshals to retrieve debris between turns one and four.

The VSC was deployed again on lap 16 for more debris on track after Williams' Alex Albon and Hamilton collided, with the latter racing from 19th and last on the grid to 13th on the opening lap.

Albon, whose team lost radio contact with the car from the start, was handed a five-second penalty for causing the collision and also reprimanded for a starting procedure infringement.

-Reuters

"IT'S A DISGRACE": THE REAL REASON HAMILTON, LECLERC AND GASLY WERE EXCLUDED (AND IT'S SHOCKING)

I must admit, I never imagined seeing three renowned drivers disqualified simultaneously in Formula 1. Yet, at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly all lost their positions following a post-race technical inspection. So, why exactly were these drivers penalized? Hold onto your seatbelts—these reasons might surprise you.

Hamilton Penalized: A Worn Skid Block Costs Dearly

Let’s begin with Lewis Hamilton, a six-time world champion who crossed the finish line in sixth place in Shanghai. During the post-race checks, officials discovered excessive wear on the skid block beneath his Ferrari. According to Article 3.5.9 of the FIA regulations, the skid block’s minimum thickness (9 mm) must be strictly respected. Unfortunately, Hamilton’s car exceeded the allowable wear limit, resulting in immediate disqualification. Ferrari acknowledged the technical oversight, explaining, “We underestimated the wear during the race.”

Leclerc and Gasly: 1 kg Too Light, Instant Disqualification!

For Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly, the issue was equally embarrassing. Leclerc finished fifth, while Gasly crossed the line in eleventh position. But to everyone’s astonishment, their cars weighed exactly 799 kg during inspection, falling 1 kg short of the FIA’s minimum required weight of 800 kg (Article 4.1). Ferrari explained their single-stop strategy had excessively worn the tires, resulting in this critical drop in weight. Alpine also recognized their error, stating, “This is a mistake we must take responsibility for,” according to the French team’s management.

A Completely Shaken-Up Classification

The consequences were severe for these drivers, but other competitors gladly benefited from this unexpected shake-up. Esteban Ocon climbed from seventh to fifth position. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Alexander Albon inherited sixth and seventh places respectively. Oliver Bearman, Lance Stroll, and Carlos Sainz also climbed the standings, earning valuable championship points.

Mixed Reactions from Ferrari and Alpine

As expected, disappointment prevailed among the penalized teams. Ferrari pledged to learn from these incidents to avoid future technical setbacks. Alpine echoed similar sentiments, promising to tighten their pre-race inspection protocols. I fully understand their embarrassment regarding such mistakes at this elite level of competition.

Was it Negligence or Just an Honest Mistake?

Ultimately, these multiple disqualifications open up an interesting debate. At this pinnacle of technical excellence, how can we explain such oversights? Are the teams overly confident, or are these risks simply inherent to motorsport competition?

And what about you—do you think these disqualifications are acceptable technical errors in Formula 1, or do they indicate unforgivable negligence by the teams involved?

-  James-Fiorucci

LEWIS HAMILTON, CHARLES LECLERC DISQUALIFIED FROM CHINESE GP IN YET ANOTHER FERRARI DISASTER

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had finished fifth and sixth respectively in the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix.

AFP

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were both disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday for technical infringements, along with Alpine's Pierre Gasly. Leclerc and Gasly were found by FIA stewards to have cars that weighed less than the 800 kilogram minimum requirement while Hamilton was deemed to have excessive plank wear underneath his car. Leclerc had finished fifth and Hamilton sixth. Their points will be expunged with all the drivers below them now moving up two places.

Gasly finished 11th so was already out of the points.

It was a disastrous end to a weekend that had started so brilliantly for Ferrari when Hamilton took his maiden win for his new team in Saturday's sprint.

The plank assembly is a skid plate which is designed to wear away when the floor strikes against bumps on the track or kerbs.

If it is too worn it can improve performance as cars can run closer to track, increasing "ground effect" down force.

"The plank assembly of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton) was measured and found to be 8.6mm (LHS), 8.6mm (car centreline) and 8.5mm (RHS). This is below the minimum thickness of 9mm," said the stewards' ruling.

"The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team."

For Leclerc the ruling said: "Car 16 (Charles Leclerc) was weighed by the FIA Technical Delegate inside and outside scales with both scales showing the same result of 799 kg after the customary draining of fuel and the replacement of a broken front wing."

"The calibration of both scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. During the hearing there was no challenge to the FIA's measurements which are taken to be correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly.

"There are no mitigating circumstances and that the team confirmed that it was a genuine error by them."

Hamilton, driving a Mercedes, was disqualified from the 2023 United States Grand Prix for a similar plank-wear problem.

- Agence France-Presse

LEWIS HAMILTON'S FURIOUS RADIO EXCHANGE WITH FERRARI DURING CHINESE GP

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix after both of their cars failed their respective post-race technical checks. Leclerc and Hamilton originally finished fifth and sixth respectively for Ferrari in the Shanghai race in what proved to be a disappointing day for the team, but things would soon take a turn for the worse.

Hamilton was disqualified for excessive skid-plain wear. The same infringement that cost him second place at the US Grand Prix when racing for Mercedes. Leclerc was dismissed after his vehicle was identified as 1kg underweight.

The disqualification will damage morale within the camp following an already under-par showing in Shanghai. The removal of both drivers will see Ferrari miss out on a staggering 18 points in the Constructors' Championship, but relations between Hamilton and his new engineers already seemed strained before news of the disqualification emerged.

Lewis Hamilton Couldn't Hide His Frustration With Ferrari During the Chinese Grand Prix

Ferrari's new recruit has only raced for the team twice

Tensions appeared high during the Shanghai race following an exchange between Ferrari engineer, Riccardo Adami, and Hamilton and this disqualification will only add to the enormous pressure Ferrari now faces.

Hamilton was heard on the radio imploring his team for advice as the 40-year-old struggled to catch the leading pack. The seven-time world champion realised he was losing ground and made a desperate plea to his garage for some guidance, stating:

"Give me some feedback guys, come on. I need some feedback of where I’m losing [time]."

When Adami responded by letting Hamilton know that the issue might be happening at Exit 13, Lewis snapped back, replying: "Yeah, you told me that already!" That Hamilton is already sound fed up with his new team after just two races together is not an encouraging sign.

Following the disqualification of both Ferrari drivers, Esteban Ocon of Haas was moved from seventh to fifth, whilst his teammate Oliver Bearman jumped up to eighth. Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes was elevated to sixth, with Williams' Alex Albon in seventh.

Hamilton and Leclerc were not the only drivers to face disqualification as Alpine's Pierre Gasly who initially finished 11th, was also disqualified during the post-race examination. While Ferrari will likely be extra vigilant about flouting technical rules in the wake of the disqualifications, it seems there's a fair bit of team building to do before the Japanese Grand Prix on the 6th April given Hamilton's exceptionally blunt words during Sunday's race.

- Patrick Post

THREE CARS HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED AT THE #CHINESEGP

Following post-Race technical checks, 3 cars have been disqualified from the #ChineseGP 🇨🇳 

#FIA #F1

CHRISTIAN HORNER POINTS OUT MERCEDES 'MISTAKE' AFTER GEORGE RUSSELL DISQUALIFICATION

Christian Horner reacts to George Russell's disqualification from the Belgian GP.

George Russell’s second win of the 2024 season has been taken away, with the Mercedes driver disqualified for returning an underweight car to parc fermé.

Russell’s disqualification has bumped both Red Bull drivers up in the points standings — and Christian Horner, Red Bull team boss, offered his perspective on Mercedes’ crucial mistake at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Christian Horner: Mercedes made ‘a mistake in their calculations’

George Russell has spent years trying to turn a one-stop strategy into a Grand Prix win, and it appeared as if the Mercedes driver had finally pulled it off when he crossed the finish line first at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Unfortunately for Russell, his car was found to be underweight by a mere 1.5 kg. A minute difference — but a massive one in Formula 1, where every milligram of weight matters when trying to find a performance advantage.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was asked if he believed Russell’s one-stop strategy actually contributed to his car’s weight discrepancy after the race.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Horner replied.

“I’m sure that you’d have lost well over a kilo of rubber. We saw that on Friday.

“But you know, you have to carry enough fuel to do the sample, otherwise you’re using fuel as ballast.

“Really sad news for George, but obviously a mistake in their calculations.”

It is a devastating result for a team that would have taken a massive boost in the World Constructors’ Championship thanks to its one-two finish.

But Horner wasn’t the only person Sky Sports was able to catch for an opinion. Indeed, they were able to grab Charles Leclerc — who inherited third place after Russell’s disqualification but was unable to celebrate on the podium — before the Monegasque racer left the circuit.

“They had done an incredible job today, and it’s not the difference of the weight; they won because they were the stronger team today,” Leclerc said.

“Obviously, these kinds of things, it’s difficult to do an exception, and it’s understandable that they got disqualified.

“It’s unfortunate because [Russell] had done an amazing job, as well as Mercedes.”

The disqualification will certainly provide plenty of food for thought for the Mercedes team heading into this extended summer shutdown period.

- Elizabeth Blackstock

GEORGE RUSSELL STRIPPED OF BELGIUM GP AFTER STEWARDS INVESTIGATION

George Russell took the chequered flag, but teammate Lewis Hamilton was promoted to first, with Oscar Piastri second and Charles Leclerc third. SIMON WOHLFAHRT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

 George Russell was stripped of his victory at the Belgian Grand Prix after his Mercedes car was found to be underweight after the chequered flag.

Teammate Lewis Hamilton was promoted to first place, securing his second victory of the season after his win at the British Grand Prix earlier this month.

Russell's car was weighed after the race and found to be at the minimum weight (798 kilograms), but after fuel was drained from the Mercedes, it was found to be 1.5kg underweight.

The matter was referred to the stewards, who determined Russell's car be disqualified.

"Car 63 was weighed on the FIA inside and outside scales with both scales showing the same result of 796.5kg," a stewards' statement said. "The calibration of both scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.

"During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.

"The stewards determine that Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard penalty for such an infringement needs to be applied.

"Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits."

Russell won the race on a one-stop strategy, meaning he made a single set of tyres last 34 laps while others made an extra stop.

The physical wear of the four tyres can account for the car's overall weight loss over a long stint, although teams usually factor that into their calculations before the race.

Another factor unique to the Belgian Grand Prix is that the length of the Spa-Francorchamps lap means drivers do not complete a cool-down lap after the chequered lap and instead turn into the pit lane exit immediately after Turn 1.

The absence of a cool-down lap means drivers cannot pick up discarded rubber on their tyres, which is standard procedure after a race to help replace any lost weight.

"Heartbreaking. ... We left it all on the track today and I take pride in crossing the line first," Russell said in a post on social media after the race. "There will be more to come."

Speaking before the stewards' decision, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said his team would have to accept a disqualification if it happens.

"You have to take it on the chin," he said. "If the stewards decide against ourselves, it is what it is, a mistake has happened, or could have happened, and one-two would have been a great result going into the summer break. It wouldn't go any better.

"The positive, the very positive we can take from this race is we had two cars that were the benchmark in this race, with two different strategies. Who would have said that a few months ago? That is really good to see."

Asked if anything was damaged on Russell's car, which might have contributed to it being underweight, Wolff added: "No, I think it's a one-stop that ... you expect loss of rubber, maybe more, but it's no excuse.

"If ... if the stewards deem it to be a breach of regulations, then it is what it is, and we have to learn from that, and as a team, given there are more positives to take, for George, but that's a massive blow for a driver when his childhood dream is winning these races, then to be told it's taken away. But he's going to win many more."

- Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor

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HOW RED BULL AVOIDED USGP ERROR THAT GOT HAMILTON AND LECLERC EXCLUDED

LEWIS HAMILTON ON DISQUALIFICATION

 

USA TODAY Sports 

Mercedes accepted their punishment after Formula One stewards disqualified Lewis Hamilton from second place in Sunday's U.S. Grand Prix along with sixth-placed Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

The governing FIA had reported both drivers to stewards after their cars failed post-race checks on the under-floor wooden planks at Austin's Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Stewards imposed the standard penalty after both teams acknowledged the measurements carried out by the FIA were correct.

Mercedes had stated that the high wear on the skid pads was probably due to the bumpy track and the race being run to a sprint format for the first time.

That meant a 100km race on Saturday and only one practice session instead of the usual three.