The FIA has reportedly issued an official plank wear warning to teams ahead of this weekend’s Qatar GP. McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas completely reshaped the championship fight. Now the governing body says it will closely monitor race pace, ride-height and sparking behaviour of all cars.
The controversy follows recent whispers about heat-treated titanium skids and other clever protection tricks that were saving plank wear for the front-running teams. Both Ferraris fell foul of the same problem earlier this year in China and were disqualified. Nonetheless, the situation sets up a tantalising final two weekends of the 2025 season …
TAKE CARE OF PLANK WEAR
Norris could mathematically seal the 2025 world title in Qatar. While Verstappen and Piastri arrive tied for second just 24-points behind. McLaren boss Andrea Stella insists the Vegas drama will not make the team more cautious. “What happened in Las Vegas won’t change our approach to this weekend. The mindset that brought us two Constructors’ titles stays the same. Push to the limit and maximise our potential,” said the Italian.
Qatar’s fast sweeping corners are expected to suit McLaren well. But most believe Verstappen and Red Bull hold a psychological advantage. Former F1 driver Christian Danner says McLaren have not shown they can handle pressure. “Vegas was a disaster. If I see as a data engineer that the floor is in the danger zone for plank wear, I have to shout right away – lift and coast! This just didn’t happen,” said the pundit.
VERSTAPPEN MAXIMUM ATTACK
Meanwhile, the hunter, Max Verstappen, says his approach to Qatar remains unchanged. “The points in the championship have got closer after Vegas. But we will still approach the weekend the same way we have always done and just take it one session at a time. We go in focused on extracting the best performance possible. It’s a sprint weekend, too, so there are even more points to win. We have to be perfect weekend,” concluded the Dutch world champion. – with GMM
But what do you think? Can Max take it to Lando? Or will Oscar break his late-season slump and surprise everyone? Let us know in the comments section below …
