McLaren forced to start Norris and Piastri from pit lane

McLaren’s pre-race technical problems forced both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to start the Chinese Grand Prix from the pit lane. An electrical issue on Norris’s MCL40 prevented him from reaching the grid before the pit exit closed; engineers removed his car floor and worked in the garage while he stepped out of the cockpit, and McLaren confirmed it had identified an issue. About five to ten minutes before the start the team also wheeled Piastri back to the garage with an undisclosed problem, and with repairs still ongoing both cars were obliged to begin from the pit lane, leaving the third row empty after Piastri was moved off the grid.

The dramas unfolded under intense time pressure as mechanics carried out frantic garage work to try to get the cars away, and at times either car faced the prospect of missing the start entirely. The two McLaren cars had qualified on the third row for the second consecutive weekend — Piastri out-qualified Norris, with Norris set to start sixth — while Kimi Antonelli was on pole ahead of George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The late repairs and pit-lane starts altered the race’s starting order; Williams’ Alex Albon and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto were also set to begin from the pit lane.

The incidents compounded McLaren’s recent pre-race troubles after Piastri’s crash on reconnaissance laps in Melbourne. The qualifying performance raised further questions over the MCL40’s balance: Piastri, about 0.7 seconds off Antonelli’s pole time, praised progress on the power unit but said the car remained short on corner grip, while Norris — who recorded a 1:32.608 Q3 lap — highlighted a loss of time on the straights and said he believed he could have been third if he had nailed his lap. Observers will be watching whether the reported power-unit gains translate into race trim.