McLaren explain Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri double Chinese GP DNS | F1 | Sport
McLaren have confirmed that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri each suffered “separate issues” on their cars in the minutes leading up to the Chinese Grand Prix which resulted in them both failing to even start the race. Norris’ car was first wheeled off to the garage for work to be done on it, before Piastri’s MCL40 followed shortly before the formation lap.
The initial hope was that they might be able to fix the problems on both cars in time to get them back out for a pit lane start. But as the Grand Prix got under way, there was no sign of either of the papaya-coloured cars and McLaren had suffered their first double Did Not Start since the 2005 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
Minutes later, McLaren confirmed in a statement that the problems discovered on each car did not seem to be linked. A statement read: “Unfortunately we identified separate issues on both cars which prevented them from starting the Chinese GP, with Oscar’s being removed from the grid shortly before the formation lap. We will now work to identify each issue.”
They had been due to start the Grand Prix fifth and sixth on the grid. As a result of their late withdrawal, both those grid slots were left empty, leaving a large gap between Charles Leclerc starting fourth and Pierre Gasly in the seventh space on the start-finish straight.
It is another blow to Norris’ title defence, the Brit already having been frustrated about the fact the McLaren cars are off the pace of their Mercedes and Ferrari rivals. While team-mate Piastri’s bid to make up for missing out on the championship last year is off to the worst possible start, having now failed to make it to the starting grid for both Grands Prix held so far in 2026.
Speaking in the media pen while the Grand Prix was ongoing, Norris said: “We can’t race. It’s just frustrating. It’s on the power unit side. The guys tried as hard as they could to get it sorted or to find some solution, but they weren’t able to. It’s disappointing, my first non-start in Formula 1. It’s tough to take, but that’s life sometimes.
“I’d probably say an hour or so before going out, I was just warming up and getting ready to go out and drive and then I found out about it. They know it’s an issue that they can’t fix for now. They need to look further into what it is and why it’s happened.”
The McLaren cars were two of the four that failed to make start Sunday’s race. Williams also pulled Alex Albon off the starting grid after the spotted a hydraulics problem on his FW48, while Gabriel Bortoleto also found himself watching the race from the Audi garage.
