In the Shanghai F1 paddock on Saturday evening, Andrea Stella paused to reflect on a strange problem. Under the incoming 2026 Formula 1 rules, he said, a driver’s mistake can sometimes make the car faster.
Speaking after qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, the McLaren team principal explained that small errors on a lap can save energy in the hybrid system. That saved energy can later boost speed on the straight.
The Italian described the situation as “counter-intuitive,” raising questions about whether such behaviour fits the spirit of racing. The comments came during a weekend that later ended in frustration for McLaren, when both cars failed to start Sunday’s race in Shanghai.
When errors become advantages: Stella’s regulatory concern
During media sessions at the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Stella explained how the 2026 power unit rules could create an unusual scenario for drivers.
According to GPBlog, McLaren drivers have told the team that mistakes in a corner can sometimes reduce energy use. That saved energy can then be deployed later on the straight.
“Occasionally, there are comments from our drivers that once they make a mistake, it actually saves some energy,” Stella said. “Therefore, you go faster overall in a sector because the energy you saved with the delay in the throttle is going to reward you at the end of the straight.”
The idea runs against the usual values of top-level racing. Drivers train to remove mistakes from every lap. Stella openly acknowledged that tension.
“Obviously, this goes much more as to…do we want to be faithful to the DNA of racing in a traditional sense? Do we accept that this counter-intuitive situation belongs to the business or not?”
He framed the debate as a wider question for the sport. Stella said fans and drivers should also play a role in deciding how Formula 1 responds.
He did not call for immediate rule changes. Instead, he said the responsibility now sits with the sport’s leadership.
“It’s for F1 and the FIA now to collect the feedback, create a picture,” Stella said. “The tools to respond now exist.”
He added that engineers now understand the regulations well enough to suggest small adjustments if needed. The final decision, he said, rests with the governing bodies.
McLaren’s in China: Progress on track, then heartbreak off it
Before Sunday’s race, the weekend had shown signs of promise for McLaren.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ran close to the pace of Scuderia Ferrari during Sprint Qualifying on Friday. Both McLarens managed to get ahead of the Ferraris at times and held a similar pace in the Sprint race.
The team then qualified fifth and sixth for Sunday’s grand prix. That position placed them in range of a strong points finish.
The situation, however, changed hours before the race even began.
Engineers found an electronics issue on Norris’ power unit shortly before the grid procedure. The team attempted several software resets and swapped parts. They ran out of time before the race start.
Norris never left the garage for the reconnaissance laps. The British driver later said it was the first time he had failed to start a Formula 1 race.
Piastri’s problem came even later. The Australian driver reached the grid but was pulled back to the garage just before the formation lap.
McLaren later confirmed that the two failures were not linked. The team said each car suffered a different electrical problem within the power unit system.
“Following investigations into the issues on each car, it was two different electrical problems on the power unit side which caused the double DNS today,” the team said in a statement.
Andrea Stella did not hide his frustration after the race that never began for his drivers.
“A disappointing day, quite frustrating because we go racing to be on the track,” he said. “Today we saw two McLarens in the garage while the other cars were racing.”
For Piastri, the moment added to an unusually difficult start to the season.
After two race weekends, the Australian has yet to complete a single racing lap in a grand prix. He had already missed the opening race at the Australian Grand Prix after crashing on his reconnaissance lap.
“It’s been a while since I’ve watched two grands prix on TV,” Piastri joked.
The double non-start was also rare in McLaren’s long history. The last time both cars failed to begin a race came at the 2005 United States Grand Prix.
On that day, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya withdrew at the end of the formation lap alongside other Michelin teams because of tyre safety concerns.
Piastri’s consecutive DNS also places him in rare company. The last driver known to record back-to-back non-starts was Bruce McLaren at the 1969 United States and Mexico grands prix.
