McLaren fixes Norris' battery after China GP DNS

McLaren has replaced the faulty battery that caused Lando Norris's dramatic last-minute withdrawal from the Chinese Grand Prix grid, a failure the team has traced to its Mercedes power unit supplier. While teammate Oscar Piastri's similar issue was repairable, Norris required a fresh energy store, costing him one of his limited seasonal allocations as the team heads into the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

Why it matters:

A double battery failure before a race start is an extreme reliability setback, highlighting the persistent teething problems with the new-generation 2026 power units. For McLaren, which is fighting at the front of the grid, such operational disruptions are costly not only in immediate points but also in the strategic management of precious, quota-limited power unit components for the remainder of the championship.

The details:

• The pre-race chaos in Shanghai saw both McLarens fail to take the start—Norris couldn't leave the pits, and Piastri had to be pushed off the grid—marking the first time in over 40 years the team was absent from a Grand Prix grid.
• Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed the faults were "related to the electrical side of the power unit" and originated with Mercedes HPP, not McLaren's own operations.
• The issues, while both battery-related, were distinct. Piastri's energy store was repaired and reused, but Norris's unit was damaged beyond repair and had to be replaced with a new battery pack.
• Under F1 regulations, drivers are allocated only three energy stores per season. The China failure means Norris has now used two of his three allowances just five races into the 2026 campaign.

What's next:

McLaren expresses confidence that Mercedes HPP has implemented fixes to prevent a recurrence, though Friday practice in Japan introduced a new, unrelated hydraulic leak on Norris's car. Despite the setbacks, the team showed strong underlying pace, with Piastri topping the second practice session. The focus now shifts to ensuring clean running for the rest of the Suzuka weekend to convert that potential into a result that mitigates the points loss from China.