How McLaren broke F1's plank wear rules in Las Vegas GP

How McLaren broke F1's plank wear rules in Las Vegas GPStory by

Motorsport photoJake Boxall-LeggeSun, November 23, 2025 at 9:48 AM UTC·9 min read

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the usual post-race inspections revealed that both McLaren cars had fallen foul of Formula 1's restrictions on plank wear.

The cars of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had both demonstrated wear beyond the minimum thickness on the rearmost skid block, defined as 9mm by Formula 1's technical regulations. Given that the plank must be 10mm thick when fitted, this gives teams only 1mm of permissible wear through a grand prix.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Lando Norris, McLaren

McLaren's issue in Las Vegas, however, is a different scenario. Owing to the changeable conditions throughout the weekend, it was difficult to lock into a set-up that could cope with the wet conditions in qualifying and remain handy in the race. The circuit is also notoriously bumpy, exacerbating the difficulty of keeping the plank in check.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

That being said, the other nine teams had no such issues with their plank wear, so it's hard to see this as anything other than McLaren having made an elementary set-up mistake with both cars. The curious aspect of this is that McLaren is generally considered to have developed its 2025 car around using more of the front skid block rather than the rear, which perhaps suggests that it shifted some of the balance backwards to find performance in Las Vegas.

The current F1 cars are stiffly sprung to ensure the floor remains at a static level to produce consistent levels of downforce, which means that it's difficult to damp out the effect of bumps on the road. Teams will plan their ride heights around that to ensure the plank wear meets their expectations, but there can be circumstantial influences: tyre wear, fuel load, and kerb strikes are chiefly among those mitigating factors.

At the end of the race, Norris had been asked to back off - with it stated on the radio that he'd ventured into an extreme fuel-save mode to make it to the chequered flag. But could McLaren have sensed that his plank was on the limit? Unless you have a sensor there, it would be impossible to know until the scrutineers get the measuring calipers into the hole...

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Photos from Las Vegas GP - Race

Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Magic Johnson arrives in the Paddock

Guido De Bortoli

Jay-Z on the Pirelli hot laps grid

Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Cynthia Erivo at Pirelli Hot Laps with Jenson Button

Peter Fox / Getty Images

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

A'ja Wilson arrives in the Paddock

Guido De Bortoli

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team

Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images

Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor of Alpine F1 talks with Naomi Campbell

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Kym Illman / Getty Images

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images

Zak Brown, McLaren

Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Peter Fox / Getty Images