McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has issued a clear apology to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri after both drivers were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix due to technical violations.

Norris, who leads the championship, originally crossed the line in second place behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, while Piastri secured fourth. But post-race scrutineering revealed that the skid block thickness on both McLarens fell below the minimum requirement, triggering disqualification for each car.

“We apologise to Lando and Oscar for the loss of points today, especially at such a crucial stage in their championship fights after they delivered strong performances all weekend,” Stella said in an official team statement.

He explained that unexpected and severe porpoising during the race—far worse than anything observed in practice—caused excessive floor contact. McLaren believe accidental damage sustained by both cars contributed to increased floor movement, ultimately leading to the infraction.

“As the FIA acknowledged, the breach was unintentional,” Stella added.

Starting from pole, Norris lost the lead to Verstappen into Turn 1 and later had to carefully manage his car in the closing laps, allowing the Dutchman to pull more than 20 seconds clear. His runner-up finish initially appeared to strengthen his title position, giving him what seemed to be a 30-point advantage over Piastri heading into the final two rounds.

“It’s frustrating to lose so many points,” Norris said, now holding a reduced 24-point lead over both Piastri and Verstappen. “As a team, we’re always pushing to extract performance, and we just didn’t get the balance right today. I can’t change that now, so the focus shifts to Qatar, where we’ll look to maximise every session.”

Piastri echoed the disappointment of leaving Las Vegas with no reward. “We’re always searching for gains, and we didn’t get it right this time,” he admitted. “We need to reset, refocus, and fight for the best points possible in the final two races.”

With 58 points still available—including sprint points—Norris can seal the championship in Qatar if he scores at least two more points than both Verstappen and Piastri over the course of the weekend.