Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Oscar Piastri attempted to lighten the mood with a joke to team-mate Lando Norris after McLaren suffered a costly double DNS at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The race weekend turned into a major disappointment for the British team after both MCL40 cars failed to start the grand prix due to electrical issues linked to the Mercedes power unit.
The first problem emerged on Norris’s car, which never left the pit lane. McLaren discovered an electrical fault when the car was started in the garage shortly before the race, preventing the British driver from even reaching the starting grid.
Piastri’s situation initially appeared more promising. The Australian successfully completed his reconnaissance laps and lined up in fifth place on the starting grid, suggesting at least one McLaren would be able to take part in the race.
During the grid interview session before the race start, former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard asked Piastri whether he was concerned about his own car after seeing Norris’s car remain in the garage.
Piastri responded in a relaxed tone.
“At least I’ve made it to the grid myself this week, so we are off to a better start on my side,” said Oscar Piastri.
However, the situation changed dramatically moments later. When McLaren fired up Piastri’s car ahead of the formation lap, engineers discovered a separate electrical issue affecting the power unit system.
Although the fault was different from the problem experienced by Norris, it still meant Piastri’s car could not start the race. Mechanics quickly pushed the MCL40 off the grid and back into the garage, confirming that both McLaren drivers would miss the start of the 56-lap grand prix.
Once the race began, Piastri and Norris changed out of their race suits and headed to the media pen to speak with journalists about the disappointing situation.
Despite the frustration of the double DNS, Piastri found a moment of humour when he walked past Norris during the interviews.
“Fancy seeing you here,” joked Oscar Piastri.
Norris laughed before responding with a short reply.
“Shut up!” said Lando Norris.
The double DNS had a significant impact on McLaren’s early-season standings. Norris now sits sixth in the drivers’ championship with 15 points, trailing championship leader George Russell by 36 points after the Shanghai round.
Piastri, meanwhile, has collected just three points from the opening races of the season.
However, according to 1996 Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, Piastri may have been unlucky not to gain at least one additional point during the weekend.
Villeneuve referred to an incident during Saturday’s Sprint race involving Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli. During the restart following a Safety Car period, Antonelli was instructed to give a position back to the Mercedes driver after his pass was deemed illegal.
Piastri overtook Antonelli before it was officially permitted, but onboard footage later suggested that Antonelli had already run wide and left the track, which may have effectively surrendered the position.
Villeneuve argued that Antonelli’s mistake meant the Italian driver had already lost the right to defend his place.
“Antonelli went off the track, so at that point he had given up the right to stay ahead,” Villeneuve explained.
He also highlighted that Antonelli had fallen more than five car lengths behind the car in front, which normally requires drivers to remain within that gap during Safety Car procedures.
“What should Piastri have done? Hit the brakes and create chaos behind him? That situation needs to be looked at,” Villeneuve added.
For McLaren, the Shanghai weekend ultimately served as a reminder that reliability remains a critical factor in Formula 1. Losing both cars before the race even began not only cost the team valuable championship points but also raised questions about the reliability of the electrical systems within the MCL40 package.
As the championship moves forward, McLaren will need to resolve these technical issues quickly if it hopes to remain competitive in the increasingly tight battle across the 2026 Formula 1 grid.
Baca Juga
Analisis Sportrik Media mengulas penyebab performa Red Bull dan Max Verstappen menurun pada awal musim F1 2026 di bawah regulasi baru.
Toto Wolff menegur Kimi Antonelli lewat radio tim saat pembalap Mercedes itu meraih kemenangan perdana di F1 GP China 2026.
Analisis Sportrik Media dari GP China 2026 menyoroti McLaren sebagai tim paling dirugikan setelah double DNS serta spekulasi masa depan Max Verstappen.
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