It’s incredible what happened before the start of the GP: four drivers didn’t start the race!
An incredible twist occurred just minutes before the start of the Chinese Grand Prix: both McLaren cars were forced to retire before the race even began, after a series of technical issues that appeared even before the formation lap. Initially, the team had announced that the cars would start from the pit lane, but the situation was apparently not resolved in time and the team ultimately decided to withdraw both cars.
The clearest issue concerns Lando Norris, the current championship leader, whose car was stopped by a failure of the ECU (supplied by Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team). As for Oscar Piastri, the team simply reported an unspecified technical problem that made it impossible for him to take part in the race.
But they were not the only ones: Alexander Albon with Williams Racing and Gabriel Bortoleto with Audi F1 Team also missed the race, bringing the total to four withdrawals before the lights even went out.
The race then began in a rather chaotic atmosphere. Lewis Hamilton made an excellent start from third place, immediately taking the lead ahead of pole-sitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli, as well as Charles Leclerc and George Russell, before the Mercedes–Ferrari order was restored after a handful of laps. The opening stages also featured incidents further back, including a spin by Isack Hadjar while battling with Oliver Bearman.
It was a huge blow for McLaren: the reigning world champion team’s two cars were supposed to start from fifth and sixth positions, but the Shanghai weekend turned into a complete zero — a result that will likely strengthen Ferrari’s second place in the constructors’ championship.
Photo: McLaren
