Nov.28 (GMM) McLaren has arrived in Qatar still dealing with the fallout from its double disqualification in Las Vegas, with team boss Andrea Stella revealing the FIA is already examining whether the floor-wear regulation needs adjusting.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – who suffered an identical plank-wear DSQ in China – publicly backed McLaren’s argument that the rule can punish teams for tiny, unpredictable variations.
“A difficult rule,” Leclerc said in Qatar.
“I’m convinced no team goes out on track knowing they have an illegal car. It takes very little – even just a gust of wind – to change everything, and it’s so difficult to predict all the scenarios. These are aspects that will need to be discussed.”
Stella made clear McLaren has pushed the FIA to consider proportionality.
“Minor and accidental technical infringements with minimal deviations that result in no performance advantage should not lead to such disproportionate consequences,” he said.
The Italian stressed the team has no concerns about a repeat this weekend.
“We have a proven method for car setup and are confident we can develop an optimal plan for the upcoming races, starting with Qatar,” he said.
“The incident in Las Vegas was due to an anomaly in the car’s handling characteristics, caused by the specific track layout, and not the result of an excessive or unreasonable pursuit of maximum performance.”
But Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli disagrees entirely.
“I mean, that’s the rule,” he said. “With these cars, the lower you run them, the more lap time you gain. So obviously you need to set a limit, and if you go beyond that limit, of course you’re gaining an advantage, and that’s why you get a penalty.
“Sometimes you have external circumstances and that’s unlucky, of course, but the rule is the rule. It is what it is. I think next year we’re not going to have as much of an issue with the new regulation.”
The FIA is expected to address the topic with teams in upcoming Technical Advisory Committee meetings.
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