Why were both McLaren cars unable to start the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix?

Both McLaren cars, driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, were unable to start the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix due to separate electrical failures within their Mercedes power units.

Specifically, the technical cause of these failures was identified as issues with the MGU-K/ES Interface. Although both cars used the same power unit family, McLaren confirmed that the electrical faults on each car were separate and unrelated.

The impact of these technical issues on the team and drivers included:

• A Historic “Double DNS”: This was the first time since the infamous 2005 United States Grand Prix that both McLaren cars failed to start a race.
• Lando Norris’s First DNS: The reigning World Champion described this as his first-ever career “Did Not Start”.
• Oscar Piastri’s Continuing Drought: For Piastri, this marked a second consecutive Grand Prix without completing a single race lap in the 2026 season, following his reconnaissance lap crash at his home race in Australia.

The incidents occurred just before the race began; Norris was unable to reach the grid, while Piastri’s car had to be wheeled back into the pit lane from the grid just six minutes before the formation lap. McLaren was not alone in its technical struggles, as Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) and Alexander Albon (Williams) also posted non-starts due to separate hydraulic problems.

The first fault was identified on Norris’s car during routine pre-race preparation in the garage. McLaren and Mercedes HPP worked to find a fix before the race start, but the problem could not be resolved in time. It marked the first occasion in Norris’s eight-year Formula 1 career that he had failed to start a Grand Prix.

Piastri’s issue emerged independently, after he had already lined up on the grid. A separate electrical fault was found on the power unit of the number 81 car. Again, the team and HPP worked to find a resolution on the grid, but the car was ultimately brought back to the garage before the race began.

The sequence left McLaren without either car at the start, the first time the team had faced that situation in over 20 years. Team principal Andrea Stella described the two faults as an “extremely unfortunate coincidence.”

Stella said: “A Formula 1 race weekend is built from the effort and energy of many team members, both trackside and in Woking at the factory, not to mention our technical and commercial partners alongside the incredible McLaren Mastercard fans who invest in getting up early or staying up late to support us.

“We are here to go racing, and today we were not in condition to do so because of separate electrical problems on both power units, which is extremely frustrating and disappointing for the team, the drivers, our technical and commercial partners, and of course our fans. We are sorry for that and will make sure we bounce back as one team in Suzuka.

“Nothing had changed between Saturday’s Qualifying and the fire-up in the garage pre-race, but as we prepared Lando’s car to leave the garage, an electrical problem was discovered on the power unit. We tried to fix it alongside our partners at Mercedes HPP, but there was no way to do so, which resulted in the first prevention of a Formula 1 Grand Prix start in his career.

“Then on the grid we found another electrical issue on Oscar’s power unit which couldn’t be resolved, resulting in the car being required to return to the garage for further investigation. They look to be separate electrical faults on the power unit occurring at the same time, an extremely unfortunate coincidence which meant there was simply no way to start the race with either car this afternoon. We’ll investigate together alongside our partners at HPP to understand what happened.

“We move forward as one team, both trackside and in Woking, with our partners at HPP. We’ll learn from today together and make sure it doesn’t happen again before coming back stronger for the next race in Japan. Finally, we would also like to congratulate Andrea Kimi Antonelli on his first Formula 1 Grand Prix victory, a special achievement he will never forget.”

McLaren sit third in the Constructors’ Championship, though the gap to Mercedes at the top has widened following back-to-back DNFs across the opening two rounds. The team’s next opportunity to respond comes at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is a seasoned motorsport journalist with a sharp eye for the grid’s untold stories and a passion for breaking down the race day grind.

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