McLaren driver Oscar Piastri had an outstanding outing at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday as converted pole position in his seventh victory of the 2025 Formula One season while dramatically extending his lead in the championship after teammate Lando Norris suffered an unfortunate retirement with just seven laps remaining.
The Australian racer dominated the 72-lap race right from the start at Zandvoort, expertly managing three safety car restarts to seal a crucial victory that could prove decisive in the title race. Piastri now leads the drivers' championship with 318 points, securing a 34-point advantage over Norris, who sits on 275 with nine races remaining.
"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," said Piastri after sealing the win.
"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," he added.
Big shock for Lando Norris
What looked to be another McLaren one-two finish turned into disaster for Lando Norris when his power unit failed on lap 65, forcing him to retire while running in second place. The British racer had been fighting to reduce the gap to his teammate throughout the race.
The retirement was cruel for Norris, who dominated practice sessions and qualified on the front row along with Piastri.
Home podium for Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen secured second place after Norris' retirement, giving a brilliant performance for the Dutch fans at his home circuit. The Red Bull racer had made a great start, overtaking Norris at Turn 1 with an amazing move that saw a wild slide while completing the maneuver. However, Verstappen's early advantage was short lived as the McLaren's raw pace became evident throughout the race.
Race results and Championship standings
The final podium positions were completed by Piastri, Verstappen, Hadjar, with George Russell securing fourth spot for Mercedes and Alex Albon claiming fifth for Williams. Oliver Bearman impressed with a career-based sixth-place finish for Haas, ahead of the Aston Martin duo of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.
With this win, Piastri now has seven victories from 15 races this season, matching his pole position tally with four. The Australian driver's consistency has been totally mind-blowing, finishing on the podium in 14 of the 15 races.