Both McLaren drivers miss start of F1's Chinese Grand Prix

Both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, failed to start the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix after suffering separate technical failures just minutes before the race began. The double DNS (Did Not Start) left grid spots five and six empty, dealing a significant blow to the team's constructor championship ambitions on a weekend where they showed strong pace.

Why it matters:

This catastrophic pre-race failure represents a massive lost opportunity for McLaren, which had shown podium-contending speed throughout the weekend in Shanghai. In the tight battle for second place in the constructors' championship, every point is critical, and a double zero-score from favorable grid positions is a severe setback. The incident also raises immediate questions about the reliability and preparation of the team's complex electronic systems under race conditions.

The details:

• The issues began approximately an hour before the race start, with the team frantically working on Norris's car in the garage, having identified an electronic issue that required removing the car's floor.
• While the team initially believed they had fixed Norris's problem, he was unable to complete his reconnaissance laps to the grid as work continued.
• Teammate Oscar Piastri, who had qualified sixth, managed to complete his reconnaissance laps but then encountered his own separate issue on the grid just before the formation lap.
• McLaren was forced to push Piastri's car back into the garage from the grid, confirming both cars would not start the race.
• The failures were not isolated, as Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto was also ruled out with a technical problem before the race began, and Williams's Alex Albon, set to start from the pit lane, also did not make the start.

What's next:

McLaren faces a intense investigation to diagnose the root causes of the twin failures, which team principal Andrea Stella will demand answers for ahead of the upcoming Miami Grand Prix. The pressure is now on to ensure these critical reliability issues are resolved immediately to prevent further points losses. For Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the focus shifts to rebounding from the frustration of a missed race, with their strong one-lap pace in China providing some confidence that the performance is in the car—if they can get it to the start line.