Zak Brown reveals FIA is “looking at” McLaren’s Las Vegas DSQs after “draconian” punishment

Zak Brown has said McLaren's double disqualification from the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix was the result of a small error with "huge consequences", adding that the FIA even believed it to be "a bit draconian".

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were stripped of their points from finishing second and fourth on the Strip after scrutineering following the race revealed excessive plank wear on both cars. With the drivers' championship hinging on the final three races of the season, this came as a huge blow to championship leader Norris, who now sits just 24 points ahead of his team-mate and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

For the McLaren Racing CEO, the infringement was minute.

“Yeah. So it was a very minor mistake with huge consequences, right?" he said on The Sports Agents podcast. "Getting disqualified from a race doesn't get worse. Second and fourth, I think we were.

"Wrong time. Many other teams have had the same violation. It's unintentional. It's not performance-enhancing. Ferrari and Mercedes have both been disqualified for the same thing in the last couple of years. But as I told the team, does that make us feel better? Not really.

"But what it does do is demonstrate these things do happen. It was the thickness of a piece of paper, crazy."

Brown went on to reveal that the FIA is "looking at it", with the governing body sharing his view that the penalty isn't fitting of the mistake.

“There's two ways you can have too much skid wear - not to get overly technical. One is to run the car too low, which is illegal. The other is you can have what's called porpoising, which is in the aerodynamics of these cars.They effectively bump up and down, and that's what we had.

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"And so we weren't running too low. What we had was too much porpoising that came from a lack of data coming out of Thursday and Friday where all the sessions were raining.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

"But yes, nine other teams did get it right. So at the end of the day, we got it wrong. The FIA is looking at it because they also feel that the penalty is a bit draconian, but it's what the rules say.”

Following the team's Las Vegas campaign, emotions were understandably running high. But with the Qatar Grand Prix week starting immediately after the United States' final race came to an end, the team turned its focus to the final two races of the season.

"So of course I was angry, as was the whole team Saturday night, even Sunday. But then you get some good sleep, kind of let the drivers alone for 48 hours.And then everyone reengages and everyone realises a season's 24 races, not one.”

The Californian was asked about the conspiracy theory that the FIA targeted his team to maintain 'jeopardy' over the last two races.

"I've had a lot of people ask me. If that came out of my mouth, it would kind of feel like an excuse. So I'm kind of not going to go there. I'm going to kind of go, 'we got it wrong.'

"Yes, the rules are a bit draconian. Yes, it didn't make a performance. Yes, yes... Well, we got it wrong at the end of the day. And the rules are the rules. I can't sit here and enforce the rules on the competition, and then when they come our way, go, 'well, kind of close is close enough.'

"I don't think that's the case. A lot of people do. I don't think that's the case."

Photos from Qatar GP : Practice

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Qatar GP - Friday, in photos

Qatar GP - Friday, in photos

Formula 1

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