Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix, leaving McLaren with two non-starters due to pre-race technical problems. Norris couldn't exit the pitlane in time for the pre-race procedure, while Piastri was withdrawn 10 minutes before the formation lap. McLaren's second consecutive pre-race drama followed Piastri's crash-out in Melbourne. Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto also missed the start after his car was pushed back 15 minutes before the race. Williams' Alex Albon joined them, opting for a pitlane start after fixing car balance issues in parc ferme, qualifying 18th.

Only 18 cars lined up on the starting grid.