Oscar Piastri
RacingBy Phillip Bupp on

The Formula 1 season started this weekend in Bahrain, but no one apparently told McLaren.

To say that McLaren had a rough race would be an understatement. Oscar Piastri, on his debut, originally needed to switch out his steering wheel. Once that happened, the car wouldn’t come back on, and a gearbox issue took him out of the race.

For Lando Norris, he suffered a pneumatic issue and while he could continue, he was forced to pit multiple times throughout the race. That sent him to the back, and if it wasn’t for Esteban Ocon serving multiple penalties, and Charles Leclerc having a mechanical issue, there would be no chance for Norris to pass anyone.

Many took notice at McLaren’s bad day. Some Daniel Ricciardo fans especially took notice as the popular Ricciardo was released at the end of last season.

In fairness to McLaren, it’s just the first race. They’re certainly starting from behind, but they have 22 more races to get points. If anything, it’s a shame for Piastri because he could use F1 racing experience, and he lost out on a lot of laps with his retirement.

They’ll just have to put Bahrain behind them and look forward to the race in Saudi Arabia in two weeks.

[Photo: @McLarenF1]

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

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