Summary of this article
McLaren’s Lando Norris stuck in garage, Piastri withdrawn minutes before start with PU issues
First missed race for Norris in eight F1 seasons; Piastri’s second in succession
McLaren, Mercedes HPP launch probe into terminal electrical failures
McLaren opened a joint investigation with engine partner Mercedes after both of its cars were forced out of the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 before the Formula 1 race even began due to terminal electrical failures.
F1 champion Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri were both unable to start Sunday’s race after separate issues linked to their Mercedes-supplied power units.
Norris, set to start sixth, was left waiting in the McLaren garage as time ran out before he could reach the grid. Piastri, who had qualified fifth, was withdrawn minutes before the start of the race.
McLaren confirmed a “joint investigation” with Mercedes’s High Performance Powertrains (HPP) division to determine the cause of the problem.
It marked the first time in Norris’s eight-season F1 career that he missed a race. For Piastri, it was the second consecutive race he failed to start after crashing on the way to the grid at the Australian Grand Prix.
“We just have to take it on the chin, learn what the problem was, and make sure it never happens again,” Norris said. “Everyone in the team is frustrated, our engineers, mechanics and HPP teammates. All of us want to go racing and score points.”
Multiple Start Issues At Chinese GP
The new F1 regulations put more emphasis on electrical power systems. Earlier, McLaren raised concerns about a lack of information on extracting maximum performance from the Mercedes power unit systems. Interestingly, Mercedes drivers have already won both Grand Prix races and the only sprint event under the new rules.
Four cars failed to start the Chinese GP in total. Alongside the two McLarens, Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi and Alex Albon’s Mercedes-powered Williams were ruled out after a hydraulic failure.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin had another double retirement. Lance Stroll’s race ended early due to a battery failure linked to its Honda power unit, while Fernando Alonso stopped because of what the team called “discomfort from vibrations”.
Earlier this month, Aston Martin team principal Adrian Newey warned that the car was shaking so violently it risked “permanent nerve damage” in drivers’ hands without big changes.
