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Topflight debutant Piastri became the first driver of the new season to retire after attempts to rectify an electrical issue aboard his MCL60 by fitting a new steering wheel failed.
By staying out longer than rivals on his starting soft tyres, the Australian had risen to 12th when he pitted at the end of lap 12. But the ineffective reset forced his early bath.
Stella has revealed that the attempted reset by replacing the steering wheel had not worked because the fault was located further down the steering column.
He explained: “The electronic damage was further down the line around the steering column. So, the steering wheel wasn’t the problem. It was a problem with the harness probably. We are investigating. Not fixable in a sh …