McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has called for a bump on the Las Vegas circuit to be removed in time for the 2024 edition of the race after Lando Norris suffered a heavy impact in a lap-four crash during the Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old was making his way through the Turn 11 left-hander when his McLaren car bottomed out over a bump in the track, causing him to lose control and slam into the outside barrier before skidding along the side of the track and into the run-off area at the end of the straight.
He was visibly shaken up in the cockpit after the crash, although he did confirm that he was okay over the team radio. Matters could have been much worse for McLaren as his car narrowly avoided wiping out team-mate Oscar Piastri, who was making the left-hand turn into the next corner as Norris’ car rode the barriers towards him.
Discussing the crash after the race, team principal Stella said: “There’s a bump in that place. And you can see all cars sparkle when they go through this bump. I think the combination of the bump and the cold tyres might have surprised him.
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“I think that bump, if we carry on racing at nighttime, should be fixed because the tyres will always be cold [with] low grip and it becomes a very tricky corner. Already during the weekend, we saw cases of oversteer in that place. So independently of the timetable, we would strongly recommend that this bump is smoothened out.”
This wasn’t the final incident involving a McLaren car during the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Piastri was extremely unfortunate to pick up damage and a puncture following a racing incident with Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver also suffered the same fate with both drivers forced into an unplanned pit stop.
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The rookie managed to climb his way back into the points-paying positions in the latter stages and even snatched the point for the fastest lap as he crossed the line down in P10. However, a two-point haul remains an extremely frustrating return from a weekend that promised plenty for McLaren.
Lance Stroll’s impressive P5 finish means that the gap between McLaren and Aston Martin in the battle for P4 in the Constructors’ Championship has been reduced to just 11 points heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
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