The double Mclaren DSQ in Las Vegas: The hidden detail that reveals everything.

 Abstract

The double disqualification of the McLarens at the Las Vegas Grand Prix has rapidly become one of the most delicate technical episodes of the season. What initially appeared as a standard breach of Article 3.5.9 FIA Formula One Technical Regulations regarding plank wear has now revealed a far more intricate scenario. A detail found in FIA Document 57, and mirrored in Document 58, offers a link to the technical rumours circulating before the weekend: the alleged use of thermo-expandable titanium skids. The behaviour recorded by the FIA’s measurements show us that there could be a deeper layer behind McLaren’s exclusion.

What Happened in Las Vegas

Post-race scrutineering on both McLaren cars uncovered a violation of the minimum thickness requirement for the rear skids. According to FIA Documents[1], the measurements were below the 9 mm minimum set by Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations.

The inspections were conducted with a Mitutoyo micrometer purchased in May 2025, with a declared accuracy of 0.001 mm. An instrument that clearly has a very precise accuracy.

McLaren’s team principal, sporting director and technical director were heard, together with FIA technical personnel. The stewards then ordered a second measurement of the same components, this time in the presence of all parties.

The crucial fact is that this second measurement produced even lower values. The FIA confirmed that the components “did not comply” and that the second inspection reinforced the initial finding. This resulted in the disqualification of both cars.

 

The FIA Documents and the Key Detail

FIA Document 57 and 58 contains the element that changes the interpretation of the entire case and that was not highlighted until now. In the third paragraph of both documents is stated that: “The rear skids were re-measured in the presence of the Stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and those measurements confirmed that the skids did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those measured originally by the Technical Delegate”[2].

Given the precision of the micrometer and the presence of the stewards and team representatives, the reduction cannot be attributed to procedural uncertainty.

This behaviour raises a single, unavoidable technical question: Why would the thickness decrease between two static measurements taken minutes apart?

This small detail is crucial to connect this episode with all the Skid rumours that we had just before the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

 

Thermo-expandable Titanium Skids: Why they are not the plausible explanation of the double McLaren DSQ but they reveal something

Before the Las Vegas weekend, discussions inside the paddock focused on a specific concept: the use of titanium skid elements designed to exploit thermo-expandable deformation.

From what we know this system works as follows:

- Titanium elements deform when heated.

– When at high temperature, they can subtly alter their profile relative to the plank.

– Under race load, they act as the first point of contact with the asphalt, thereby avoiding the plank consumption and allowing the cars to go lower, with a performance gain.

– When cooling down, they tend to return toward their original position, thus avoiding any kind of technical infringements.

The intended purpose is clear: to reduce plank wear while running at a lower ride height.

This behaviour aligns with the rumours about skids discovered after the 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix: such elements protect the plank by absorbing most of the contact, while heat-induced deformation prevents excessive wear during the race. Once cooled, however, their geometry tends to return to its pre-race state. It is also important to note that a material undergoing thermal relaxation may continue to deform for a short period as it stabilises, even off-track.

Unfortunately, given the current state of physics and material properties, this kind of concept is really difficult to achieve. Even if we were able to deform titanium, the deformation would be so marginal that an increase in temperature to 1000 degrees would only cause the material to expand by 0.08%.0,084 mm.[3]

Connecting the Rumours to the Measured Behaviour

We know from Document 57 and 58 that:

1. The first measurement showed a thickness below the legal minimum.
2. The second measurement, taken shortly after, showed an even lower thickness.
3. The same pattern appears in both documents and consequentially on both Mclaren cars.

Given these facts, the correlation is straightforward. Meanwhile, this cannot be considered decisive proof. The fact that the same pattern appears on both McLaren cars raises a lot of legitimate doubts. This simple technical match between the observed pattern and the reported characteristic of the alleged component is highly unusual and could directly point to a 'system' that could move the skids in such a way as to produce the same effects without directly heating the titanium.

Conclusions

The FIA documents supply an objective fact: the skid thickness of both McLaren cars decreased between the first and second static inspections. This aligns perfectly with the pre-weekend rumours concerning thermo-expandable titanium skids, allowing us to rule out any anomalous behaviour related to a single car (e.g. damage or incorrect calculations).

This raises some questions:

Could McLaren be using a device capable of achieving such results?

If so, how long have they been using it?

Could this device distort the championship in some way?

Did an insider decide to disclose the truth about this component?

Could the incredible timing of this decision benefit the sport by ensuring a close championship until the end of the season with this double DSQ?

At this point, there are many questions that need to be answered in order to guarantee the most important thing: the fairness of this sport.

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[1] Documents no. 53,54,55,57,58 of the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, FIA 2025.

[2] Paragraph three under the section: Reasons, from Documents 57 and 58 of the 2025 Las Vegas Gp, FIA 2025.

[3] To have a clearer idea on the topic I suggest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqop4dvU51s