The McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been forced out of the 2026 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix.
Norris and Piastri were due to start the race at the Shanghai International Circuit from the third-row of the grid.
But disaster struck even before a single lap could be run between the McLaren duo. The reigning F1 World Champion, Norris couldn’t even get out for his installation lap with a suspected electronics issue.
The team stripped Norris’ MCL40’s floor and believed that the issue had been fixed, but were unable to get it all back together in time for the Briton to get back on track for the race.
His team-mate Piastri made it onto the grid but was wheeled back into the Woking-based team’s garage with only a handful of minutes remaining before the formation lap.
As it turns out, an issue was also detected on the Australian’s MCL40, with the team taking him off the grid to investigate further.
McLaren would have hoped to get the duo on track, with a pit lane start, but the screens up come up and both drivers are out of the car.
This would be a devastating result for the reigning Constructors’ Champions. As things stand, Piastri has failed to run a single Grand Prix lap this season, having crashed out during his reconnaissance lap, last weekend, in Melbourne.
Norris, on the other hand, would be bitterly disappointed as he expected a solid result for the team in Shanghai, this weekend.
READ MORE – Lando Norris spots Mercedes weakness to boost McLaren’s F1 Chinese GP hopes
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