The British team, through team principal Andrea Stella, emphasized that the excessive porpoising encountered during the race caused the skid block to scrape the track too often and too aggressively, ultimately leading to the inevitable disqualification due to exceeding the maximum allowed wear of 9 mm.

“The specific cause that led to the situation was the unexpected occurrence of extensive porpoising, inducing large vertical oscillations of the car,” Stella said.

“The level of porpoising was exacerbated by the conditions in which the car operated during the race, and it was not anticipated based on what we had seen in practice and based on the predictions of the car operating window in the race.”

Stella stated that he was taken aback by what happened, as he was confident the team had not taken excessive risks with the ride height, but that the “unexpected onset of the large vertical oscillations” proved to be fatal.

The Italian also added that even the extensive lift-and-coast instructions given to Norris in the closing stages of the race weren’t enough to mitigate the issue and, at times, actually proved counterproductive.

When asked whether anything would change in managing the two drivers now that Max Verstappen has clawed back into contention—thanks in part to the McLaren disqualifications—Stella reiterated that the team’s approach will remain the same until the end of the season.

At first, excessive skid block wear was linked to a rumor that emerged after the Brazilian GP, claiming that some unnamed teams had fitted titanium skid blocks to bypass plank wear. These blocks were supposedly intended to allow the car to run as close to the asphalt as possible via thermal expansion, without wearing down too quickly.

However, that theory quickly fell apart. The real issues originated during the Las Vegas weekend itself, particularly in the practice sessions, where the conditions and setup quietly set the stage for McLaren’s eventual disqualification.