Oscar Piastri wins Dutch GP as Norris retires, stretching his championship lead to 34 points

Oscar Piastri has tightened his grip on the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship with a commanding victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, capitalising on the dramatic late retirement of McLaren team-mate and title rival Lando Norris.

The Australian drove flawlessly at Zandvoort, converting pole position into a lights-to-flag victory while fending off relentless pressure from Norris. The duel looked set to run to the chequered flag until Lap 64, when smoke billowed from the rear of Norris’s car, forcing him to pull off the track and retire.

With Norris out of contention, Piastri completed the final laps unchallenged to secure his seventh win of the season and open up a 34-point lead in the championship standings. The triumph marks a stark contrast from the same race 12 months ago, when Norris dominated and Piastri finished a distant fourth.

Reflecting on the pivotal day, Piastri kept his celebrations measured. “I controlled the race when I needed to and obviously incredibly unfortunate for Lando at the end, but I felt like I was in control of that one and just used the pace when I needed to,” he said.

The 23-year-old stressed the significance of McLaren’s progress since last year: “It was a bit of a different race to 12 months ago so very happy with all the work we’ve done to try and improve around here. Very satisfied to come out on top.”

Piastri admitted the weekend had initially looked challenging, with Norris appearing stronger through practice, but he delivered when it mattered most by securing pole in qualifying. “Nothing special, just trying to improve everywhere we can,” he said. “At the start of this weekend it was looking like a difficult one and managed to get it together in qualifying and then I was happy with the pace I had today.”

The race itself was not without drama. Two Safety Cars injected tension into the contest, repeatedly closing the field and handing Norris further chances to attack. But Piastri’s composure never wavered, and his McLaren responded with pace whenever the pressure mounted.

“It wasn’t just myself that improved to get here — it was the whole team around me, without them none of this is possible. It’s a big team effort,” Piastri noted, paying tribute to McLaren’s engineers and strategists.

For Norris, the result was a bitter blow. Having celebrated a dominant win at Zandvoort last season, he looked set to challenge until mechanical failure cruelly intervened. His retirement hands his team-mate a commanding advantage heading into the final nine races of the year.

Despite his new lead, Piastri downplayed title talk. “Starting out on top is a good way to go so if we can keep it running then that would be great, but there’s a long way to go yet. We just have to keep doing it one race at a time,” he said.

The Dutch Grand Prix outcome could prove a defining moment in this season’s title battle. With just nine races remaining, Norris faces an uphill climb to claw back the deficit. For Piastri, the path to a maiden world championship is now clearer than ever — but as he reminded everyone, the fight is far from over