McLaren F1 deal with bizarre issue after shock P19 & P20 finish

McLaren's Piastri and Norris with concerned expressions in front of an edited US-flag backdrop — Photo: © IMAGO

Las Vegas Grand Prix

McLaren deal with bizarre issue after shock P19 & P20 finish

Not everything went the papaya team's way

Chris Deeley

Saturday 22 November 2025 13:55

McLaren had an odd end to a session at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Friday, with their cars in the garage and their mechanics donning rubber gloves.

With the track rapidly drying in a damp final practice session, most teams were out setting increasingly quick times on dry tyres - except the papaya pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Norris came in with seven minutes left of the session, with his mechanics all quickly putting on elbow-length rubber gloves before touching his car, suggesting an electrical fault on the number four machine.

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Whatever the problem, it didn't seem to be affecting him when he came out two and a half hours later for qualifying - ending the evening with a magnificent final lap to plant himself on pole by a comfortable margin.

Piastri hit by technical bug

Piastri, meanwhile, came in to end his FP3 early a few minutes after his team-mate, with the team reporting a loss of telemetry.

The team didn't report a repeat of those issues for qualifying either, but the Australian's story didn't end as happily as his team-mate's.

While the second McLaren showed good pace at various points in qualifying, Piastri's final lap in the rapidly-improving conditions appeared to be disrupted by the Racing Bull of Liam Lawson.

Already fighting for his championship life with a 24-point deficit to Norris, Piastri will now start all the way back in fifth, leaving him with a mountain to climb to close the gap with just three races to go.

RESULTS: Las Vegas Grand Prix times and grid positions

F1 McLaren Las Vegas Grand Prix