McLaren F1 boss calls for FIA rule change after double disqualification

McLaren F1 boss Andrea Stella has called for the FIA to review their rules after both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified for excessive skid wear at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The papaya driver duo were stripped of the race result and relevant championship points that came with it following Saturday's night race and after an internal investigation at the team, Stella has highlighted an element of the rules he feels need changing.

Speaking in a statement from McLaren ahead of this weekend's Qatar GP, the team principal admitted that they knew significant porpoising would be an issue early on in the race last time out, but that the infringement was not intentional.

The Italian reassured that McLaren were confident that a repeat of the issue would not occur in the final two race weekends of the year, as Norris looks to beat both Piastri and Max Verstappen to the title in Lusail this weekend.

Stella: FIA skid wear penalties 'should be addressed'

McLaren accepted the penalty last time out given that the FIA's rules around plank wear are rather black and white.

All teams must ensure the planks on their cars measure at 10mm when fitted, meaning they can only lose 1mm of wear during a race given that the minimum thickness required for the part to be considered legal by the FIA is 9mm.

“We verified together with the technical delegate, that the measurement of the skid thickness was correct,” Stella said in a McLaren statement.

“Even if the excessive wear is relatively minor and in only one location, [as it was 0.12 mm for Lando and 0.26mm for Oscar], the regulation is very clear that the rear skids need to be at least 9mm at the end of the race in every location."

Still, the 54-year-old felt the punishment was not representative of the breach given that it was marginal on both Norris and Piastri's cars, suggesting that F1's governing body should reassess the punishment for skid wear violations to provide a less severe option for any minimal breaches in future.

“Unlike sporting or financial rules – there is no proportionality in the application of penalties for technical regulation infringements," he continued.

"The FIA itself has admitted that this lack of proportionality should be addressed in the future to ensure that minor and accidental technical infringements, with minimal or no performance benefits, do not lead to disproportionate consequences.”

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