Planks typically wear over the course of a race, as the structure scrapes the track over kerbs, bumps and at high speed, despite the use of titanium skid blocks to protect the glass-reinforced composite plank in the areas where it is measured.
Teams factor this in when setting their ride-heights but, arguing in mitigation, McLaren said that the Las Vegas race may have caught it out as a result of limited time in practice, due to wet weather and a loose manhole cover that resulted in two stoppages.
The team said that it had not expected such a high level of porpoising, where the aerodynamics of the car pull it down towards the track surface at high speed until it rubs against the asphalt, causing to bounce up. This repeats in rapid succession, causing an uncomfortable ride and plank damage. Norris had mentioned the high level of porpoising after qualifying on the previous day.
The stewards said that there was no provision in the regulations to do anything other than disqualify the cars, even though, in their view, “there was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations”.
It mirrors a decision at the Chinese Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton was disqualified for exactly the same offence earlier this year.
Norris still carries a significant advantage in the title race, but Verstappen moves from being 42 points behind to being within a race victory of the championship leader.
Championship standings before disqualification |
Current championship standings |
|||||
| Position | Driver | Points | Position | Driver | Points | |
| 1 | Norris | 408 | 1 | Norris | 390 | |
| 2 | Piastri | 378 | 2 | Piastri | 366 | |
| 3 | Verstappen | 366 | 2 | Verstappen | 366 | |
The outcome casts new light on the instructions given to Norris in the closing laps of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he was asked to lift off the accelerator at the end of straights and coast into corners.
It was assumed that this was to save fuel, but is also used as a tactic by teams — including Ferrari in races after Hamilton’s disqualification — to reduce downforce on the floor at high speeds and prevent wear.
What are skid blocks?
Titanium skid blocks are added to the plank underneath each F1 car, which prevents cars from running too low to the ground.
Low ride-heights improve performance but increase the risk of drivers losing control if the floor of the car runs along the track surface, causing it to bottom out and lose grip.
The skids are attached within the front and rear of planks at the point where the thickness is measured by race officials.
Their job is to protect the 10mm plank in this area, on sections of the track where the plank does graze the asphalt, and prevent it from wearing by more than 1mm during the race — the margin allowed in F1’s technical regulations.
The holes within the skids, pictured above, allow the thickness of the plank to be measured.
The wear allowance is a strict threshold: any wear over 1mm can result in disqualification, as Lewis Hamilton found at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix where his plank was found to measure between 8.5mm and 8.6mm at the rear skid.
In this case, the “standard penalty of a disqualification” was applied.