F1i Driver Ratings for the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix

The Pre-Race Casualty Ward

The Chinese Grand Prix generated an overflow of drama before the lights even flickered, as the pit lane in Shanghai resembled an expensive hospital wing.

McLaren’s nightmare was a statistical anomaly: two distinct electrical failures on the power units occurring almost simultaneously, leaving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stranded and the Woking-based squad’s "underdeveloped" chassis untested.

Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi joined the list with a vaguely described "technical issue," continuing the team’s alarming 50/50 reliability trend, while Alex Albon’s Williams rounded out the DNS list, leaving the field depleted and the points race wide open for those lucky enough to actually find the "on" switch.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (DNF) – 2/10

Stroll’s weekend was a short, sharp shock – literally. Sidelined – predictably – by a battery failure after just nine laps, the Canadian ran at the bottom of the field during that short period. Honda is likely to pull out the stops to try and get its power unit to function properly for the better part of its home race in Japan in two weeks’ time. One can only hope…

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (DNF) – 4/10

Alonso dragged his AMR26 to lap 32, but it was a miserable slog. Locked in a depressing scrap with Cadillac before the Spaniard gave up, his hands having gone numb due to the car’s high-frequency vibrations. Finishing a race, let alone in the points, is a distant dream for the Spaniard right now.