The Australian was wheeled back into the McLaren garage after lining up on the grid in fifth place, with the team discovering an apparent electrical issue with his MCL40.
The problem came after teammate Lando Norris also encountered trouble, with the Briton not leaving the garage to take up his sixth-place position on the grid.
It was hoped both cars would start from the pit lane, but Piastri was seen getting out of his car shortly after the 56-lap race began.
“Unfortunately we identified separate issues on both cars which prevented them from starting the Chinese GP, with Oscar’s being removed from the grid shortly before the formation lap,” McLaren wrote on social media.
“We will now work to identify each issue.”
Piastri’s issue follows his installation lap crash a week ago at Albert Park, where the Australian failed to start his home race.
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Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto has also suffered an issue, with the Brazilian confirmed as a non-starter for the race.
Alex Albon also exited his Williams before the start after initially looking like he would start from the pit lane, with only 18 cars set to start the race.
“The team identified a hydraulic issue on Alex’s car during laps to grid,” Williams said in a statement.
“Despite the team’s efforts to fix the issue, it has not been possible, and we are forced to retire the car.”
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