McLaren’s Costly Caution at US GP: Piastri’s Title Hopes Dented by Disqualification Fears and Sprint Crash Fallout

The 2025 United States Grand Prix has left McLaren reeling from a self-inflicted wound, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris paying a steep price for a Sprint race catastrophe that forced the team into a cautious setup to avoid disqualification. Sky Sports F1 pundit Ted Kravitz revealed the ripple effects of McLaren’s double DNF in Austin’s Sprint, where Piastri’s ill-fated Turn 1 move collided with Nico Hulkenberg, taking out both McLarens and leaving them blind on critical setup data. Max Verstappen’s Red Bull capitalized, sweeping both Sprint and Grand Prix for 33 points, slashing Piastri’s championship lead to just 40 points. As Piastri clings to hope with his F3 title fight experience, McLaren’s conservative approach to avoid plank wear penalties exposed a strategic misstep that could haunt their 2025 title dreams.

Piastri, once a dominant force with nine wins this season, struggled in Austin, qualifying sixth and finishing a distant fifth—his worst result since Imola. Norris salvaged P2, but neither could match Verstappen’s blistering pace, who won by 11 seconds. Kravitz pinpointed the Sprint crash as the root cause: without data from the 19-lap Sprint, McLaren couldn’t optimize the MCL39’s ride height. Fearing excessive wear on the underfloor plank—a wooden strip ensuring cars don’t run too low—McLaren raised the car, sacrificing downforce and pace. “They had to be conservative,” Kravitz explained on Ted’s Notebook. “Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes nailed their setups, running low for maximum grip without risking the plank. McLaren’s margin cost them dearly.”

The plank wear issue isn’t theoretical; Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification at the Chinese GP in March 2025 for excessive wear set a chilling precedent. With only one practice session in Sprint weekends, McLaren’s lack of running amplified their woes. “They didn’t know how the tires would behave either,” Kravitz noted, highlighting a second blow: tire degradation data was a mystery, further dulling their edge. Piastri’s post-race frustration was palpable: “The car never felt right,” he radioed, a stark contrast to his early-season dominance where he contended for wins at every turn. Norris, too, couldn’t challenge Verstappen, settling for a hard-fought runner-up spot.

Despite the setback, Piastri remains defiant, drawing on his 2020 FIA F3 title fight against Logan Sargeant, which went down to the wire. “I’ve been in closer battles than this,” he told RacingNews365. “Performance wins championships, not just points management. I still believe I can do this.” With 346 points to Norris’s 332 and Verstappen’s 306, and 141 points left across five races, the Australian’s confidence is tested but unbroken. Yet, his 64-point loss to Verstappen since Monza underscores Red Bull’s surge, with the RB21’s precision setup exploiting McLaren’s hesitance.

The paddock buzzed with reactions on X, where #McLarenMistake trended with 80,000 posts, fans split between blaming Piastri’s “reckless” Sprint move and lamenting the team’s risk-averse strategy. Red Bull’s Christian Horner didn’t miss a chance to twist the knife: “McLaren’s caution handed us the weekend—Max is back in the game.” Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur, meanwhile, praised his team’s “spot-on” setup, which netted Charles Leclerc P3. The fallout also reignited teammate tensions, with Piastri’s aggressive lunge echoing his Singapore clash with Norris, prompting Andrea Stella to schedule a Mexico City debrief to “reset dynamics.”

As McLaren heads to the high-altitude Mexico GP, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Zak Brown’s recent contract extension for Piastri signals long-term faith, but short-term execution is faltering. The team’s disqualification fears, rooted in the Sprint’s lost data, forced a compromise that bled performance—potentially a defining moment in the 2025 title race. With Verstappen now a serious threat and Norris closing the gap, McLaren’s unity and speed must align. Piastri’s “evidence” of past clutch performances offers hope, but Austin’s scars warn of fragility. In F1’s relentless crucible, one wrong move can cost a crown—and McLaren’s caution may yet prove their undoing.