McLaren's Double Disqualification in Vegas Not a Repeat in Qatar, Team Principal Says
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has downplayed concerns that the double disqualification of their cars in the Las Vegas Grand Prix will be repeated in Qatar this weekend. The team suffered a rare double DQ due to excessive skid-block wear on both cars, which led to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri losing their second and fourth-place finishes respectively.
Stella explained that the issues experienced in Las Vegas were "exacerbated by the conditions in which the car operated during the race" and that attempts to mitigate this by getting drivers to 'lift and coast' at the end of straights proved counterproductive. The team has since confirmed a revised setup for Qatar, which should minimize the risk of similar issues.
Stella also highlighted that McLaren has a well-established way of setting up their car, and they are confident that this will lead to an optimal plan for the coming races. While the Las Vegas incident has provided some useful information about the operating window of the car and the porpoising regime, Stella emphasized that it is not a straightforward issue.
Norris and Piastri React to Disqualification
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both spoken out about their disqualifications in Las Vegas. Norris suggested that things were not as simple as having taken risks with the car setup and that there was an element of surprise involved.
"It wasn't because we were just running low," Norris said. "Sometimes it can be the opposite." He also admitted that they didn't take enough risk, but added that it's a complex issue that cannot be reduced to a single factor.
Piastri echoed similar sentiments, stating that he was surprised by the amount of porpoising experienced during the race and that there were no pre-race indications of this. However, he emphasized that teams always try to push things to the limit in Formula 1, and it's not about taking risks but also being aware of the limitations.
Points Gap Narrows
The double disqualification has narrowed the points gap between Norris and his Red Bull rival Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has closed to within 24 points of Norris, who still retains a healthy title lead with two races left.
While McLaren's focus remains on Qatar this weekend, they are aware that their rivals will be pushing hard to regain ground. With the season-ending triple header continuing in Qatar, Norris is keen to bounce back from the disappointment and try to win at least one of the remaining three races.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has downplayed concerns that the double disqualification of their cars in the Las Vegas Grand Prix will be repeated in Qatar this weekend. The team suffered a rare double DQ due to excessive skid-block wear on both cars, which led to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri losing their second and fourth-place finishes respectively.
Stella explained that the issues experienced in Las Vegas were "exacerbated by the conditions in which the car operated during the race" and that attempts to mitigate this by getting drivers to 'lift and coast' at the end of straights proved counterproductive. The team has since confirmed a revised setup for Qatar, which should minimize the risk of similar issues.
Stella also highlighted that McLaren has a well-established way of setting up their car, and they are confident that this will lead to an optimal plan for the coming races. While the Las Vegas incident has provided some useful information about the operating window of the car and the porpoising regime, Stella emphasized that it is not a straightforward issue.
Norris and Piastri React to Disqualification
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both spoken out about their disqualifications in Las Vegas. Norris suggested that things were not as simple as having taken risks with the car setup and that there was an element of surprise involved.
"It wasn't because we were just running low," Norris said. "Sometimes it can be the opposite." He also admitted that they didn't take enough risk, but added that it's a complex issue that cannot be reduced to a single factor.
Piastri echoed similar sentiments, stating that he was surprised by the amount of porpoising experienced during the race and that there were no pre-race indications of this. However, he emphasized that teams always try to push things to the limit in Formula 1, and it's not about taking risks but also being aware of the limitations.
Points Gap Narrows
The double disqualification has narrowed the points gap between Norris and his Red Bull rival Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has closed to within 24 points of Norris, who still retains a healthy title lead with two races left.
While McLaren's focus remains on Qatar this weekend, they are aware that their rivals will be pushing hard to regain ground. With the season-ending triple header continuing in Qatar, Norris is keen to bounce back from the disappointment and try to win at least one of the remaining three races.
. I think that's a good thing, because if it did happen twice, that would be crazy talk 
. But seriously, Andrea Stella is being pretty reasonable about it, pointing out that the conditions in Las Vegas were really different from Qatar.
. It's clear they're frustrated with what happened, but they're not making excuses – they just want to move on and do better next time 
. And yeah, the points gap between Norris and Verstappen is getting smaller, so that'll be interesting to watch 
. I'm rooting for McLaren, but Verstappen's gonna give 'em a run for their money 
.
. I mean, they're downplaying it, but those double DQs were pretty shady 
. And Lando Norris isn't making excuses, he's saying there was an element of surprise involved, which is fair 
. Oscar Piastri's comments about porpoising are super relevant too - I mean, we've all been talking about that issue for ages 
. The points gap has narrowed, but McLaren still needs to step up their game if they wanna take down Verstappen 
. Bring it on Qatar! 
#F1 #McLaren #QatarGP
. two disqualifications in a row, that's some serious issues. but team principal andrea stella is all like "we got this" 
. and max verstappen's making a comeback, that's some serious racing 
. but at the same time, these teams are trying their best to optimize their cars, it's not easy 
.
. and it sounds like mclaren's learned a thing or two from las vegas 
. so hopefully qatar will be a bit more chill 
.
just thinkin' about how some teams can be so close with only two races left 
... it's like, what even is the point of all this porpoising talk? 
fingers crossed McLaren gets it sorted out in Qatar 
. Not gonna lie, I'd love to see Norris and Piastri bounce back from the disappointment in Vegas 
? Fingers crossed for an exciting Qatar weekend! 