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Plank Wear Woes: McLaren's Disqualification Drama at Las Vegas GP

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has revealed the team's early awareness of plank wear issues that ultimately led to the disqualification of both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Plank Wear Woes: McLaren's Disqualification Drama at Las Vegas GP
Uncategorized2025formula-1lando-norrisMcLaren

The streets of Las Vegas proved to be a treacherous battleground for the McLaren Formula 1 team, as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri faced disqualification due to excessive plank wear during the highly anticipated race. In a candid interview, team boss Andrea Stella shed light on the behind-the-scenes struggles that unfolded.

Stella, the Italian at the helm of the McLaren squad, emphasized the team's early recognition of the impending plank wear challenge. "We knew quite early on that the plank wear was going to be a significant issue for us," he admitted, alluding to the unexpected resurgence of porpoising that plagued the team during Saturday's practice session.

Despite their foreknowledge, Stella lamented the team's inability to find a solution to the problem, ultimately leading to the disqualification of both Norris and Piastri. "Unfortunately, we were not able to find a way to completely stop the plank wear from exceeding the limit," he said, hinting at the complex technical challenges that the team faced in the heat of the moment.

The Italian's words paint a picture of a team grappling with a sudden and unexpected hurdle, one that they could not overcome despite their best efforts. The disqualification undoubtedly dealt a blow to the team's aspirations, leaving them to regroup and strategize for the remaining races of the season.

As the Formula 1 circus moves on, the McLaren team will surely be eager to learn from this setback and find ways to fortify their cars against the unforgiving demands of the Las Vegas street circuit. The road ahead may be long, but Stella and his team have proven their resilience in the past, and they will no doubt be determined to bounce back stronger than ever.

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Full Regulation Text

Technical Regulations

Article C3.6.2

FIA Source

Plank

Chapter: C3

In Simple Terms

The plank is the flat protective board under the car that must be made of specific materials with controlled density to ensure safety and fair competition. It can be a solid piece or have hollow pockets, but these pockets must follow strict location and thickness rules to maintain structural integrity.

  • Plank material must have specific gravity between 1.3-1.45 (or 1.3-1.65 for upper surface if pocketed)
  • Maximum of three separate pieces allowed in the plank construction
  • Pocketing (hollow areas) only permitted in the central section with minimum 10mm clearance from all edges
Official FIA Text

Plank material homogeneous with specific gravity between 1.3 and 1.45, or if pocketed be bonded assembly with upper 0.5mm of specific gravity 1.3-1.65. May comprise no more than three pieces. Pocketing permitted between XF=630 and XC=-800 with periphery not less than 10mm from edges.

plankspecific gravitymaterial densitypocketingcar protection
2026 Season Regulations
Technical Regulations

Article C3.6.3

FIA Source

Skids

Chapter: C3

In Simple Terms

Teams can attach wear-resistant skid material to the bottom of the car's plank (floor) around three holes. The front hole must use a metal skid made from specific titanium or stainless steel alloys, while the middle and rear holes can optionally have metal skids. All metal skids must be precisely machined from solid material without any additional processing.

  • Metallic skids are mandatory only at the forward-most hole; optional at middle and rear holes
  • Only two materials allowed for metal skids: Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) or 17-4PH stainless steel
  • Metal skids must be machined from solid with no pre- or post-machining modifications
  • Skid material must be flush-mounted around the three plank holes
Official FIA Text

Lower surface of Plank may be fitted with flush mounted Skid material around 3 holes. Metallic Skid mandatory around forward-most hole. Optional around middle and rearward holes. Metallic Skids must be Titanium alloy Ti6Al4V or 17-4PH stainless steel, machined from solid with no prior or post-machining processes.

skidsplankfloortitaniumstainless steel
2026 Season Regulations
Technical Regulations

Article 11.3

FIA Source

Plank Extrusion

Chapter: APPENDIX C2: REGULATION VOLUMES

In Simple Terms

The plank (a wooden board underneath the car) must extend downward from its defined surface all the way to a depth of 10 centimeters below. This ensures the plank covers the required area and maintains consistent thickness for wear measurement purposes.

  • The plank surface defined in Article 11.2 must be extended vertically downward along the Z-axis
  • The plank must reach a minimum depth of Z=-10 (10cm below the reference surface)
  • This extrusion requirement ensures uniform plank thickness across the entire defined area
  • Plank depth is critical for FIA wear measurements and technical compliance checks
Official FIA Text

Once the surface in §11.2 is fully defined it must be extruded along Z to Z=-10.

plank extrusionplank depthtechnical regulationsfloor boardz-axis
2026 Season Regulations