In what should have been a triumphant 1-2 finish for McLaren at the Chinese Grand Prix, the team suffered a serious mechanical problem that almost derailed their weekend. Lando Norris, who finished second behind team-mate Oscar Piastri, spent the final stages of the race with a significant brake problem, which team principal Andrea Stella later described as “unacceptable” for a top-flight team.

Although McLaren eventually secured the coveted double podium, their celebrations were marred by an urgent technical problem that threatened not only Norris’ result, but potentially his safety. The team have since confirmed a leak in a key component of the MCL39’s braking system – although they’ve refused to disclose the specific part for intellectual property reasons.

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Troublesome pedal and an increasingly tense situation

The drama began on lap 47 of the 56-lap race. Up to that point, Norris had been in complete control of his position, comfortably in front of George Russell’s Mercedes. But when he came over the radio, his message was laced with anxiety: “My brake pedal is getting a bit long.” Just one lap later, his tone had changed. “The brake pedal is getting a lot longer,” he warned, signalling a rapidly deteriorating situation.

Initially, McLaren race engineer Will Joseph tried to reassure Norris that the data looked manageable, but he also advised an immediate adjustment. The team realised that Norris would have to change his driving style drastically in order to maintain pressure in the braking system. And even then, the outcome was far from certain.

From lap 47 onwards, Norris’ lap times began to slip noticeably. What had been a consistent 1’36” pace began to stretch into the 1’38” range, allowing Russell to close in dramatically. By the chequered flag, the margin between the two had shrunk to just under two seconds – a tight finish that belied how much effort went into simply keeping the car on track.

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Crisis management: A technical ballet from the pit wall

As the problem unfolded, the McLaren pit wall shifted its focus from performance to damage limitation. Realizing that the braking system was hemorrhaging pressure, particularly at the rear, Joseph issued precise and increasingly urgent instructions to his driver. The main directive: no more hard braking. Instead, Norris was told to lift early, coast into corners and apply minimal force to the pedal – essentially driving as if the car was limping across the line.

The leak wasn’t in the brake lines themselves, Stella says, but in an unnamed component – one the team considers sensitive for intellectual property reasons. Nevertheless, the consequences were significant. Without consistent peak pressure, Norris had to drastically increase stopping distances. Corners that normally required braking at 100 metres soon required him to lift at 200, then 300 metres before the apex, making him increasingly vulnerable to those behind him.

“You could still brake, but very, very softly,” says Stella. “The brake pedal was getting longer and longer and we had to avoid the peak pressure. Lando was braking with less and less power. In the end he was just coasting and applying minimal brake pressure”.

The radio messages reflect the intensity of the moment. On lap 50, Joseph told Norris directly: “Lando, this is one of the things we talked about. I would rather see you finish second than not finish at all. No more hard braking. The message was clear – finishing was more important than defending.

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Inside the communication: Driver and engineer in sync

The transparency of the team radio during those final laps offers a rare look into the high-stakes dynamic between driver and engineer when disaster strikes mid-race.

The back and forth between Norris and Joseph was calm, clinical and efficient, embodying the level of professionalism required to avert disaster.

From lap 47 to the finish, Joseph’s messages became increasingly cautious.

Lap 47:
Norris: “My brake pedal is getting a bit long.

Lap 48:
Norris: “The brake pedal is getting a lot longer.
Joseph: “We can see it has more depth. Reducing the maximum pressure in turn 14. We are not under pressure, the gap to Russell is 6.3”.

Lap 49:
Joseph: “The pedal is getting half a millimetre longer every lap. The front brakes are holding, but we are losing pressure on the rear. You still have braking power, but be careful.

Lap 50:
Joseph: “Lando, this is what we talked about. No risk. We would rather finish second than not at all.

Lap 54:
Joseph: “The brake pedal is getting longer. At some point it’s going to hit the floor. Reduce the brake pressure in turn 6 and turn 14”.

This exchange illustrates the importance of composure and confidence in situations of mechanical failure. Norris had to rely entirely on his engineer’s feedback, while Joseph had to manage a failing car and a tense race environment – all in real time.

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A hidden weakness in an otherwise flawless season

McLaren have been one of the standout teams in the early stages of the 2025 season. With Norris’ win in Australia and Piastri’s in China, combined with Norris’ consistent points finishes, the team has established itself as a major title contender.

But Sunday’s incident exposed a chink in their armour.

Stella did not mince his words when discussing the issue after the race. “We had a brake pedal failure on Lando’s car that we had to manage in the last 20 laps,” he said. “Lando and the team did a great job in changing the driving style, but it got so bad that it threatened the result. That’s unacceptable in terms of reliability.

While it’s clear that McLaren have a firm grip on the cause of the problem, Stella remained tight-lipped about the component at the centre of the failure. He insisted that it wasn’t the brake line itself, but something else within the hydraulic system – possibly a valve or master cylinder – that failed under race conditions. While this ambiguity is understandable from an intellectual property point of view, it also leaves open the question of whether the problem could recur.

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Silver lining and a changing championship picture

Despite the technical scare, McLaren leave Shanghai in a commanding position. Piastri’s win and Norris’ salvaged second place gave the team its 50th 1-2 finish in F1 history and moved them 21 points clear of Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship. Meanwhile, Norris now leads the Drivers’ Championship by eight points from Max Verstappen.

In many ways, the race showcased the team’s strengths as much as it revealed a weakness. Strategic clarity, technical adaptability and Norris’ driving discipline under pressure all contributed to turning what could have been a DNF into a podium. Had Russell lasted just one or two laps longer, the result might have been different. But for now, McLaren have demonstrated their ability to handle emergencies under fire.

Still, Stella’s final words served as a clear directive to the team: “We have to do better.”

As the calendar moves towards the European leg of the season, all eyes will be on McLaren to see if they can continue their upward trajectory – and whether their braking problems are truly behind them. What happened in Shanghai could be the moment that defines how McLaren balances raw speed with technical resilience in the races to come.

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Red Bull Racing have finally confirmed they will be ditching Liam Lawson who will return to the Racing Bulls while Yuki Tsunoda gets his shot alongside Max Verstappen. With the worst kept secret in Formula One finally out, the focus will shift towards Red Bull’s decision making process, because having to ‘sack’ a driver after just the first two racing weekends of the year, is almost without precedent.

It in fact has happened before, back in 1985 when Ferrari dismissed Rene Arnoux after just two race weekends. So how did Red Bull get to this point? Who made the decision to promote Lawson and not Tsunoda?

Given his role as the head of the Red Bull junior driver programme it would be difficult to believe Dr. Helmut Marko was not heavily involved. Although given this is a Red Bull driver recruitment debate, Christian Horner too would have significant sway, even more so than if it was merely a decision of a Racing Bull’s driver alone… READ MORE ON THIS STORY