It was supposed to be a moment for redemption.
Oscar Piastri crashed out of his home grand prix last week, falling victim to an unfortunate combination of cold tyres, torque spike and driver error, which sent him into the walls of Albert Park before the race had even begun.
The Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday was a chance for the McLaren driver to start the 2026 anew, and why not? He’d done it before.
At the 2025 Australian Grand Prix Piastri spun off track and got stuck in the grass, sacrificing what looked like a home podium finish. The following week in Shanghai, the Australian banished his Albert Park woes and claimed the Chinese Grand Prix, putting himself firmly back in championship contention.
Unfortunately, Piastri didn’t get a chance to recreate his 2025 magic at the weekend.
Both McLarens were ruled out of the Chinese Grand Prix before the race even started, with the papaya team identifying electrical issues with their cars. Lando Norris’ car didn’t even leave the garage, while Piastri’s was wheeled off track before the formation lap.
Lando Norris watches on after McLaren’s fail to start the race. Credit: AP
“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,” the team said on social media.
“We will now work to identify each issue.”
F1 commentator David Croft summarised this situation aptly, adding he was gutted for Piastri.
“This is not the campaign start he would have wanted … especially after Melbourne,” he said.
Oscar Piastri in Shanghai.Credit: Getty Images
The most recent McLaren driver to record two consecutive DNSs (did not starts) was Bruce McLaren in 1969. Not exactly a club you want to join.
Piastri emerged from the garage and spoke to media during the race, confirming McLaren were still identifying what went wrong.
“[It’s] been a while since I’ve watched two F1 races from the sidelines,” Piastri joked with Sky Sports.
Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli went on to win the Shanghai race from pole, clinching his maiden win and keeping teammate George Russell in second.
Kimi Antonelli won his maiden GP. Credit: Getty Images
After a series of overtakes that resembled a high-speed game of chess, Lewis Hamilton beat his teammate Charles Leclerc for third – the seven-time world champion’s first podium for Ferrari.
The first two races of the season confirm the fight this year is between Mercedes and Ferrari. While the Silver Arrows pace is unmatched, the Ferrari’s engine has a smaller turbocharger than its rivals, allowing them to execute impressive overtakes at the start of races.
The first two races also confirm – as pre-season testing foreshadowed – McLaren are no longer the frontrunners and are in a very different position compared to 12 months ago.
After leading the 2025 championship for 189 days, Piastri lost the title to teammate Lando Norris.
Oscar Piastri lost control of his car under acceleration during a warm-up lap in Melbourne. Credit: Joe Armao
Usually after a team wins both the driver’s championship and the constructors’ championship, they can hope to remain contenders throughout the next year. Think back to Lewis Hamilton’s reign with Mercedes or Max Verstappen’s dominance with Red Bull.
However, Piastri is now facing a trifecta of obstacles; the new regulations, cancelled races and just plain bad luck.
The new regulations have ushered in a new era of F1 – the cars are lighter and smaller with changes to the chassis and engines. Sunday’s race was littered with retirements as teams and drivers hurry to understand these new cars.
Besides the double DNS for McLaren, Williams driver Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto were also unable to start. Meanwhile, Aston Martin duo Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso retired, with the former citing vibration problems with the car, which were hurting his hands.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was also forced to retire his car after electronics issues.
On Sunday, Formula 1 confirmed the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This cancellation leaves a five-week hole in the F1 calendar, following the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of the month.
The scratched races reduce McLaren’s opportunities to catch up and score valuable points, and may also complicate when teams introduce upgrade packages during the calendar.
Finally, Piastri is just battling some poor luck.
While he admitted some fault in the Australian Grand Prix crash, the error in Shanghai was entirely out of his hands.
The papaya team said they are working to identity what caused the technical issue.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
