A retirement from the Dutch Grand Prix dealt Lando Norris’ championship hopes a critical blow as McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri cruised to victory at Zandvoort.
— A retirement from the Dutch Grand Prix dealt Lando Norris’ championship hopes a critical blow as McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri cruised to victory at Zandvoort.
Norris was in second place when a suspected oil leak caused his car to stop at the side of the track with seven laps remaining.
Although Piastri, who led from the start, appeared to have the race under control, Norris had spent 30 laps within a couple of seconds of his teammate while attempting to pile on the pressure following two safety car restarts.
The end of his race was signaled by smoke in his cockpit as he started Lap 65, which led to the car stopping halfway around the lap.
Norris cut a dejected figure after climbing out of his car, slumping down on one of Zandvoort’s trackside sand dunes as the field streamed past behind a third safety car of the race.
The reliability issue could inflict a double blow on Norris if damage to his engine means he has to take a grid penalty later in the season for exceeding his quota of power unit components.
Piastri’s seventh victory of the season means he now has a 34-point lead over Norris in the standings with nine races remaining. The gap between the two drivers is the biggest it has been at any point this season.
«It feels good, obviously», Piastri said afterward. «I controlled the race when I needed to, and obviously it was incredibly unfortunate for Lando at the end.
