Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix as McLaren suffered electronic problems with both their cars.
The pair were among four drivers who were unable to start the second round of the world championship. Audi also withdrew Gabriel Bortoleto’s car and Alexander Albon did not take the start in his Williams.
The absence of the two McLarens left the third row of the grid vacant when the race began. Norris’s car never left the garage to complete a reconnaissance lap after McLaren discovered an electronic fault and removed the MCL40’s floor to investigate it. McLaren initially believed they had fixed the fault, but encountered further problems.
“It’s frustrating,” Norris told Sky. “It’s on the [power unit] side. The guys tried as hard as they could to get everything could and find some solution.”
Norris’s team mate did complete his reconnaissance lap, but once on the grid McLaren identified a different problem on Piastri’s car. They eventually pushed the other MCL40 off its fifth-place grid slot and back into the pits.
For Piastri, this was his second consecutive pre-race retirement from a grand prix. He failed to take the start in Melbourne after crashing on his reconnaissance lap.
McLaren wasn’t the only team in trouble. Alexander Albon was due to start his Williams from the pit lane after his team made set-up changes to his FW48. However they discovered a hydraulic fault which meant he was unable to start.
Audi was also forced to retire Gabriel Bortoleto’s car before the start of the race. He was due to start from 16th.
This article will be updated
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2026 Chinese Grand Prix
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