McLaren suffered a disastrous start to the Chinese Grand Prix as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failed to take the start due to separate electrical issues. Norris, who was due to start sixth, missed the reconnaissance laps as the team attempted to fix a power unit problem. Piastri, starting fifth, was wheeled into the garage just five minutes before lights out with a different electrical fault.
Neither issue could be resolved in time, leaving McLaren without a car on the grid for the first time since the 2005 United States Grand Prix. Norris described the situation as 'frustrating', noting it was his first non-start in Formula 1. Piastri, who also missed the season-opening Australian GP after a pre-race crash, said: 'It's been a while since I watched two F1 races from the sidelines.'
The race was won by Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who became the first teenager to secure pole position and win a grand prix. George Russell finished second, with Lewis Hamilton taking third for Ferrari. Antonelli, 19, also became the first Italian grand prix winner in 20 years, saying: 'I'm speechless, I'm about to cry.'
Only 18 cars started the race, with Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Williams' Alex Albon also failing to take the start. McLaren will now investigate the root causes of both electrical failures as they look to recover from a nightmare weekend.
