McLaren is working to get Lando Norris on the grid for the Chinese Grand Prix as it rectifies an electronic issue. If the team can solve the problem in time, Norris will start from the pitlane.
Norris’s Pre-Race Trouble
Norris qualified sixth on Saturday. However, he was not able to take up his grid slot during the pre-race procedure before the pitlane exit had closed.
McLaren had to remove the floor of Norris’s car to find the root cause of the issue. The team continued working in the garage as the start of the formation lap approached.
If McLaren manages to get Norris into the race, he will be forced to start from the pitlane.
McLaren’s Recent Setbacks
This marks the second consecutive pre-race snag for McLaren. Oscar Piastri crashed out of his home race in Melbourne on the reconnaissance laps to the grid.
Other Teams’ Challenges
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also encountered trouble after making it onto the starting grid. His car was pushed back to the garage by his mechanics roughly 15 minutes before the start of the race.
At the Australian GP, Bortoleto’s team-mate Nico Hulkenberg didn’t start due to a pre-race car problem.
Starting Grid Line-Up
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli will lead the field from pole. He is F1’s youngest-ever polesitter. George Russell will follow, then the two Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Oscar Piastri, Norris’s McLaren-team-mate, is fifth.
Any pitlane starters will line up behind Williams’s Alex Albon. Albon’s car was taken out of parc ferme after a disappointing qualifying session left him down in 18th. Williams opted to make set-up changes to fix serious balance issues on Albon’s FW47.
McLaren is working against the clock to resolve the electronic issue and get Lando Norris into the race, even if it means a pitlane start.