Is the Championship Out of Reach for McLaren’s Lead Driver?
The 2025 Dutch Grand Prix was defined by the many accidents that occurred over the course of the weekend, from crashes and spin-outs in practice to collisions and car failures in the Sunday race. It seemed that drivers and engineers alike were still adjusting to the post-break return to the grid, and the resulting chaos left some cheering and others holding their heads in disappointment. In the final laps of the race, having skillfully maneuvered into second place behind his teammate Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris encountered mechanical trouble that would ultimately force him to retire. A DNF for Norris brings a significant shift to the Drivers’ Standings, putting him in an uphill battle for the rest of the season.
The gap in the Drivers’ Standings between Norris and Piastri was a mere nine-point difference going into the Zandvoort circuit this weekend, but the final result caused that gap to widen as much as it could in a single race. Piastri, having maintained his pole position, landed a first-place victory in Zandvoort, while Norris’ DNF means he scored no points at all. While the order of the standings remains largely unchanged, there is now a 34-point gap between the two McLaren drivers. If previous races are anything to go by, and if we can assume that further DNFs are unlikely for McLaren, the two will likely share more podiums later on in the season. However, when the gap was smaller, there was a real chance of the papaya duo switching places in the standings depending on their respective podium finishes. Now, if Norris wants to dethrone his teammate, he’ll have to finish above Piastri in at least five different Grand Prixs.
Speaking literally, Norris isn’t out of the fight yet. Though slim, he does still have a chance. Norris was one of the fastest drivers consistently over the past weekend, losing pole position to Piastri by only twelve thousandths of a second during Qualifying. Unfortunately, the odds are still stacked against him, as Piastri is known to be difficult to overtake and hard to defend against. With Piastri unlikely to give up many positions between now and the end of the season, the point advantage that he holds over Norris is significant. Despite these odds, Norris should not be counted out. Just as an unexpected car failure occurred for Norris, anything can happen on the track, and Piastri’s success is far from guaranteed. With nine races left in the season, Norris has his work cut out for him if he wants a shot at the championship, but there’s no shortage of action ahead.
