Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Oscar Piastri has explained the unexpected technical issues that prevented both McLaren cars from starting the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit. The Australian driver admitted the problems were disappointing but “not a huge surprise” given the introduction of new technical regulations.
Before the race began, team-mate Lando Norris never left the McLaren garage after his car developed a suspected electrical issue related to the Mercedes power unit. Shortly afterwards, Piastri’s car was also pushed off the grid before the formation lap after encountering a separate electrical fault.
Piastri confirmed that his issue was also linked to the power unit’s electrical systems, although it differed from the fault that affected Norris’ car. According to the 24-year-old, everything had been operating normally during his sighting lap to the grid.
“No, everything was fine on the way to the grid,” Piastri told media including RacingNews365.
“I think it was an electrical issue on the power unit, which I believe was similar to Lando’s problem, but not the exact same electrical issue. Obviously it’s disappointing, but that’s the situation.”
The Chinese Grand Prix marked another difficult moment for Piastri at the start of the 2026 season. The McLaren driver has yet to begin a race this year after crashing on his way to the grid at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Piastri acknowledged that missing two consecutive race starts was frustrating, but also highlighted that reliability issues can occur during the early phase of new regulations.
“It’s been a while since I’ve watched two grands prix on TV,” Piastri joked.
“Obviously this one feels different. Last week was pretty tough to take. But sometimes these things happen in racing, especially at the beginning of new regulations, so it’s probably not a huge surprise.”
He also pointed out the unusual situation of both McLaren cars suffering issues at nearly the same time, leaving the team without a single starter in Shanghai.
With two challenging rounds at the beginning of the campaign, McLaren now faces pressure to resolve its technical issues before the championship continues with the next events on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
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