Overview
- Lando Norris’s McLaren shut off in second practice at Monaco and marshals could not activate the clutch disengagement system so the car had to be moved by dolly and the session was red-flagged.
- The team admitted it had placed transparent tape over the cockpit button used to trigger the CDS for aerodynamic reasons and the Monaco stewards fined McLaren €30,000, €10,000 of which is suspended.
- McLaren broke curfew overnight to replace a wiring harness and the Energy Store Main Enclosure (ESME) pack as part of repairs to the car before the next session.
- Stewards expressly referenced Racing Bulls’s similar Canadian GP incident involving Liam Lawson and said that previous penalties should have warned teams, which is why a smaller portion of McLaren’s fine was suspended.
- Article C9.3 requires a marshal-accessible CDS that works even if primary systems fail and the FIA’s decision signals closer scrutiny of button placement, dual‑use designs, and any team changes that could stop marshals from activating the system quickly.