Fraser MasefieldWhen Lando Norris crossed the line to take the chequered flag in the Las Vegas Grand Prix to secure 18 valuable championship points, the drivers’ title seemed done and dusted.
A few hours later, the balance of power took a dramatic turn as both McLarens were disqualified for a technical infringement relating to excessive wear on the skid plank underneath the car.
In the case of Norris and his teammate and fellow championship contender Oscar Piastri, the block underneath the car was found to have worn more than the 1-millimetre allowance.
The plank under an #F1 car is 10mm thick when new.
The @FIA measure wear in the inspection holes, anything more than 1mm is a simple disqualification.
Teams fit titanium skid blocks around the holes, but too much bottoming will still wear the assembly away.#F1tech pic.twitter.com/O2DrZtTKTm— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) November 23, 2025
When a race finishes, cars are wheeled to a place commonly known as ‘Parc Ferme’ for official FIA scrutineering.
The French expression literally means ‘closed park’ and this area, from qualifying to race day and after, is used to ensure that every team abides by the strict technical regulations.
Whilst a single millimetre of wear underneath a car may seem petty and insignificant to the casual viewer, and somewhat harsh on the team and drivers, it can make all the difference in the most technologically advanced of all sports.
Formula One cars are designed to run as low as possible to ensure maximum downforce levels, the cars sticking to the tarmac as if on rails through the corners. Front and rear wings are also scrutinized to ensure they adhere to regulations.
The wear amounts and locations.#F1 #F1tech #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/8oLvWRZMUR
— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) November 23, 2025
For Norris, Piastri and McLaren F1 fans, the outcome may seem harsh. But rules are rules and it’s not the first time this has happened in F1.
Famously, back in 1994, Damon Hill was handed a lifeline when title rival Michael Schumacher was disqualified from the Belgian GP for excessive wear on his Benetton car’s plank – exactly the same as Norris and Piastri.
And the rules have remained steadfast since then. The plank starts at 10mm thick and any wear beyond the 1mm tolerance leads to disqualification.
A bit more context, for how Mcl may have known about the plank wear.#F1 #F1tech #LasVegasGP https://t.co/PwvqcBz99P
— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) November 23, 2025
The net result in 1994 was that Schumacher still won the title by a single point. But it could have been different.
Will history repeat itself in 2025 with another Englishman closing in on a title but this time for the same regulations to work against him? Only time will tell.
The @FIA noted that when measuring the cars later in the presence of McLaren, the measurements were “even lower than than those originally measured”.#F1 #F1tech #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/F3EPtMTTKV
— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) November 23, 2025
Motorsport Technology