Intro
Technical failures sideline McLaren duo Norris and Piastri before start of Chinese race
Shanghai
Reigning Formula One champion Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri were unable to start the Chinese Grand Prix after both cars developed technical problems just minutes before Sunday’s race.
Piastri had qualified fifth on the grid, while Norris was set to begin the race from sixth place at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai. However, their hopes of competing ended before the formation lap.
Norris remained in the pits and never left for the starting grid as engineers attempted to resolve a mechanical issue with his car. Soon after, Piastri was withdrawn from the grid following a team radio message indicating an electrical problem with his vehicle.
McLaren later confirmed that separate technical faults had struck both cars.
“Unfortunately we identified separate issues on both cars which prevented them from starting the Chinese GP, with Oscar’s being removed from the grid shortly before the formation lap. We will now work to identify each issue,” the team said in a statement.
The setback marked the second time this season that Piastri failed to start a race. The Australian driver was also unable to compete in the opening round of the season in Australia after crashing before the race began.
The unexpected double withdrawal dealt a major blow to McLaren’s hopes of scoring valuable early-season points and left fans disappointed as both drivers had been in strong positions on the grid.
Attention then shifted to the front of the field, where teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli was aiming to convert his historic pole position into a maiden Formula One victory. The 19-year-old Italian had become the youngest driver in Formula One history to secure pole position for a Grand Prix.
Antonelli started alongside his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who managed to recover from earlier technical difficulties during qualifying to record the second-fastest lap.
Mercedes entered the race seeking to maintain its dominant start to Formula One’s new era of regulations after Russell won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and also triumphed in the sprint race in Shanghai on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari briefly overtook Antonelli at the start before the Italian reclaimed the lead soon afterward.
The race went ahead just hours after Formula One confirmed that the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix scheduled for next month had been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
