Catastrophe scenario for McLaren on the grid of the Chinese Grand Prix. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were both forced to withdraw even before the lights went out.
Read more Fernando Alonso forced to retire in China after a worrying physical alert
The weekend turned into frustration for McLaren at the most unexpected moment. While the British team seemed well-placed on the grid to play an interesting role in the race, its two drivers ultimately never started the Chinese Grand Prix held on the Shanghai circuit.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both encountered technical problems in the minutes preceding the start procedure. A very rare situation for the Woking team, which found itself deprived of its two cars even before the first lap.
This double failure constitutes a huge setback for McLaren, which hoped to consolidate its position in the championship hierarchy.
Norris stuck in the pit lane
The first incident occurred with Norris’s car. The Briton was initially supposed to start from sixth position on the grid, just behind his teammate.
But when leaving the pit lane to join the starting grid, his car encountered a technical problem. Mechanics rushed around the car in a desperate attempt to resolve the incident in time.
Despite their efforts, Norris was never able to leave the pits to join his position on the grid. The car remained immobilized in the garage, condemning the driver to retire even before the official start of the race.
Piastri forced to retire on the grid
The situation did not improve for McLaren a few minutes later. Oscar Piastri, who was supposed to start from fifth place, was also the victim of a mechanical problem.
While he was already on the grid, the team noted a failure on his MCL40. After a brief inspection, the mechanics decided to bring the car back to the garage.
Read more Kimi Antonelli triumphs in China, Lewis Hamilton finally clinches his first podium with Ferrari
The car was pushed off the grid and Piastri’s participation in the race was immediately compromised. Ultimately, the Australian could not start either, sealing a particularly difficult weekend for the British team.
A dark streak for McLaren
This new incident comes just a week after another setback for the team. During the previous round in Australia, Piastri had already seen his weekend cut short after an accident that occurred while he was heading to the starting grid.
The repetition of these incidents is starting to worry McLaren, which hoped to start the F1 2026 season with more consistency.
The fact that both drivers were not even able to start is an extremely rare event for the team. You have to go back to the 2005 United States Grand Prix to find a situation where both McLarens did not start a race.
Other retirements before the start
McLaren was not, however, the only team affected by problems before the start of the Grand Prix. Gabriel Bortoleto and Alex Albon were also forced to withdraw before the lights went out.
For the Audi team, Bortoleto’s absence means that the team is only fielding one car for the second consecutive race. A situation far from ideal for a team that is still looking to establish itself permanently in the Formula 1 field.
Between technical problems and incidents even before the start, this Chinese Grand Prix will remain one of the most chaotic weekends of the early season.
Read more In tears, Kimi Antonelli savours his first Formula 1 success and makes history