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Oscar Piastri has made unwanted F1 history with two DNS to start 2026, as McLaren suffers a rare double failure that leaves both drivers watching from the sidelines.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri (AP)
Oh, Oscar.
From fighting for a championship until the final race to not even starting one this season, Oscar Piastri’s fall has been nothing short of brutal.
Not a single McLaren fan could have seen this coming.
A Record Nobody Wanted
For the first time in F1 history, a driver has recorded two consecutive DNS (Did Not Start) results in the opening two races of a season.
And unfortunately, that driver is Piastri — who suffered an uncharacteristic crash during the formation lap at the Australian Grand Prix, followed by an engine failure that ruled him out at the Chinese Grand Prix.
“It’s been a while since I’ve watched two Grands Prix on TV,” he admitted after Shanghai.
A Double Disaster for McLaren
This wasn’t just about Piastri.
Teammate and reigning champion Lando Norris never even made it out of the garage, sidelined by an electrical issue linked to the power unit.
Moments later, Piastri, who had completed his sighting lap without trouble, was also wheeled off the grid with a separate electrical failure.
🗣️ Words from Oscar Piastri:I: “I mean, you got further this time! Than last time.”
OP81: “To a degree!”
I: “When were you aware of the issue? […]”
OP81: “It was once I got out of the car.“ [1/2]
[via @oscarsspiastree]#ChineseGP🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/Lap4CaFJvo
— McLaren News | 🇬🇧 🇦🇺 (@McLarenF1_News) March 15, 2026
“No, it was all fine on the way to the grid,” Piastri explained. “I think it was an electrical issue on the power unit… but it’s not the same issue.”
Historic, But Just Not In A Good Way
This marks the first time in McLaren’s two-car history that neither car made it to the start purely due to mechanical or electrical problems.
To put it in perspective, you have to go all the way back to Bruce McLaren in 1969 to find anything remotely similar, and even that wasn’t quite like this (there have been double DNS moments before, but those came from boycotts or external chaos).
For Piastri, this is a nightmare start to a season that once promised so much — and for McLaren, it’s a wake-up call.
March 17, 2026, 7:56 PM IST
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