Andrea Stella reacts after McLaren double DNS at Chinese Grand Prix

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella described the Chinese Grand Prix as a "disappointing day" after neither Oscar Piastri nor reigning World Champion Lando Norris were able to start the race in Shanghai.

"A disappointing day, quite frustrating because we go racing to be on track," Stella said. "Today we saw two McLarens in the garage while the other cars were racing."

Electrical failures strike both cars

"We saw that there were problems with the electrical side of the power unit. We couldn't communicate with this component. We tried to rectify the problem," Stella explained.

McLaren attempted to change as many parts as possible without replacing the specific faulty component, a process that would have taken too long to allow Norris to make the start. Reprogramming efforts also failed.

"There was no way to fix the problem and Lando's car was simply just not being conditioned to leave the garage."

Piastri’s car initially made it to the grid, but a similar issue struck shortly before the formation lap. His car failed to fire up and was wheeled back to the garage.

"Once on the grid, [Piastri’s] car wouldn't fire up again in a similar manner to Lando," Stella said. "But actually, on Oscar's side, it was easier to diagnose the problem. And it appears to be a problem with the same power unit component on the electrical side, but a problem of a different nature."

The coincidence was striking.

"It's quite exceptional and uncharacteristic that you have two terminal problems pretty much at the same time on the same component," Stella admitted.

McLaren will now review the failures together with HPP, with Stella reinforcing the team’s united approach: "We go as one team."

Championship consequences

With sweeping new regulations introduced for 2026, every lap of running carries weight in a tightly contested development race. Losing 56 laps of Grand Prix mileage was a setback — but for Stella, the greater damage lies elsewhere.

"The most detrimental aspect of not being able to participate in this race is the points in the Championship," he said.

McLaren currently sit third in the Teams’ Championship, one point ahead of Haas and already 80 points behind Mercedes. While Stella noted that Mercedes appear to be operating "in their own category" and that McLaren are closer to Ferrari, the ambition remains unchanged.

"We obviously race with the ambition to compete for important results. We are just losing ground. These points could have been important at the end of the season."

Although both cars scored in the Sprint and avoided leaving China empty-handed, the missed Grand Prix opportunity represents a significant setback in the broader championship picture.

Driver morale and team mindset

The emotional toll is particularly acute for Piastri, who has now failed to start the opening two Grands Prix of the 2026 season following his pre-race crash in Australia.

"If we consider that Oscar has not been able to start a race in the start of the 2026 campaign, that's pretty difficult for Oscar to process," Stella acknowledged.

Despite the blow, Stella described both drivers as remaining positive in post-race discussions.

He pointed to the cultural reset McLaren have undergone since 2023, describing it as the foundation for resilience in moments like this.

"I think what we have gone through at McLaren in terms of the journey from 2023 has been such a good journey of developing a culture, a mindset, what we call internally a winner's mindset," Stella said.

"Just a positive attitude, which focuses us on what we can control. In this case today, there wasn't much we could have controlled, so we just take any possible learning and we go again."

For McLaren, the message is clear: a race lost, valuable points gone — but a season still very much alive.