Grim history Oscar Piastri must overcome to clinch maiden Formula 1 world championship

In the history of Formula 1, there is not a single driver has won a world championship after failing to start the opening two races of the season.

While there are many legends who have missed races mid-season or suffered pointless starts, Oscar Piastri now finds himself burdened by a statistic he never wanted.

"It's been a while since I've watched two grand prix's on TV," Piastri said after being pulled of the grid in Shanghai on Sunday (AEDT) along with teammate Lando Norris.

READ MORE: Tallis-Broncos feud erupts again after Reynolds injury

READ MORE: Hardwick says $12m star needs to 'pull his head in'

READ MORE: Liverpool fans turn on Slot after 90th minute twist

"Obviously, this one is a bit different, last week was just pretty rough to take.

"This one, unfortunately these kinds of things happen in racing at times and especially at the beginning of a new regulation, it's probably not a huge surprise

"Just a shame that it's happened to both cars."

But this wasn't just a personal blow for Piastri - it was a historic failure for his team.

This marks the first time in McLaren's two-car history that the team failed to have a single car on the grid for purely mechanical or electrical reasons.

Team founder Bruce McLaren was the last driver to have two consecutive did not starts (DNS) to his name for the team, both coming in 1969 in Mexico and the USA.

The team did technically have a double DNS result at Indianapolis 2005 and San Marino 1992, but those were dictated by safety boycotts and political upheaval respectively.

China was on purely a technical basis where McLaren failed to have at least one of its cars on the grid when the lights went out.

So what happens next for the Australian star? Can Piastri pull off defying the historic notes of F1 and challenge for the world championship in 2026?

It would be an uphill battle, that's for sure. Maybe even a vertical cliff.

Mercedes started 2026 with a bang after George Russell and Kimi Antonelli traded race wins in Melbourne and Shanghai.

Both drivers are on 51 and 47 points in the standings, while Piastri sits on three points, solely from China's sprint race.

With a gap of 48 points to make up to Russell in first and the confirmation that both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are cancelled, Piastri's window for a comeback is shrinking.

Drivers now have only 20 grands prix and five sprint races remaining in the season.

But, McLaren is not the only team stumbling through a nightmarish beginning in this new regulation era.

In China alone, Aston Martin had to retire Fernando Alonso due to vibrations making his hands numb and both Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto joined Piastri on the sidelines, failing to make the start.

McLaren may emerge from this extended break with the quickest car - but for Piastri, it seems his season may become a desperate hunt to rewrite the history books.