Both McLaren cars failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix after separate electrical faults that have been reported to be linked to the Mercedes power unit. Engineers identified a critical control‑unit fault on Lando Norris’s car during pre‑race preparations while Oscar Piastri’s car shut down on the grid. McLaren and Mercedes‑AMG HPP opened a joint, intensive investigation into how the new hybrid power units are integrating with the car’s electronic systems. McLaren has publicly complained of a lack of information from Mercedes HPP since Melbourne, adding an organizational communications strain to the technical probe. Team principal Andrea Stella said the partners worked intensively to try to resolve the issues and that the team will focus on learning lessons and returning stronger.

Telemetry from Shanghai also forced McLaren to reassess its on‑car package. A shorter‑wheelbase configuration introduced after this season’s floor decision produced persistent handling problems, with GPS data showing time loss in medium‑to‑high‑speed corners. As a result, McLaren shifted development priority at its Woking base toward chassis and drivability improvements, re‑evaluating where to concentrate upcoming updates and saying it would likely reallocate resources and testing focus.

The double DNS had immediate sporting consequences. McLaren sits third in the constructors’ standings on 18 points, roughly 80 points behind leaders Mercedes; Norris has 15 championship points and Piastri three. Piastri is yet to complete a racing lap this season after his Melbourne crash, which some reports linked to an unexpected 100kW battery power event. The Shanghai non‑starts were McLaren’s first double DNS since the 2005 United States Grand Prix, Norris’s first missed grand prix start in his eight‑year career and Piastri’s second consecutive DNS — the first McLaren driver to miss two races in a row since Bruce McLaren in 1969. Drivers and team figures framed the setback as a technical and developmental challenge: Piastri described the Mercedes units as “incredibly complex” and warned that small changes can have unintended consequences, while Norris said engineers knew the shortcomings and that development work and reliability fixes are the immediate priority as McLaren aims to salvage its season amid growing external pressure.

Sources