Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s double Chinese GP catastrophe defined in McLaren replace
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix after separate issues with their McLaren cars, with the team releasing a statement explaining what happened
McLaren suffered a double Did Not Start in China(Image: Steven Tee, LAT Imagesvia Getty Images)
McLaren have revealed that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri each suffered “separate issues” on their cars in the moments before the Chinese Grand Prix which led to both drivers being unable to even take the start.
Norris’ car was initially taken back to the garage for repairs, before Piastri’s MCL40 was also withdrawn shortly ahead of the formation lap.
There was initial optimism that they could resolve the faults on both vehicles in time to get them back out for a pit lane start. However, as the Grand Prix started, neither of the papaya-coloured machines appeared and McLaren had endured their first double Did Not Start since the 2005 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
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Moments afterwards, McLaren confirmed in a statement that the faults discovered on each car appeared to be unrelated. 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 were scheduled to begin the Grand Prix fifth and sixth on the grid. Following their late withdrawal, both grid positions remained vacant, creating a substantial gap between Charles Leclerc starting fourth and Pierre Gasly in the seventh position on the start-finish straight.
This is another setback for Norris’ title defence, with the Brit already expressing frustration over the McLaren cars lagging behind their Mercedes and Ferrari competitors.
Meanwhile, team-mate Piastri’s attempt to compensate for missing out on last year’s championship has had the worst possible start, having now failed to reach the starting grid for both Grands Prix held so far in 2026.
More to follow…
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