The 2025 F1 title battle swings in favour of Oscar Piastri, as the Australian won the Dutch GP, while his closest rival and McLaren teammate Lando Norris was forced to retire from P2 due to an engine failure.
With Norris out of the race, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured a strong second place on home soil. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar finished third, securing his maiden F1 podium result.
- Piastri wins, 1.271 seconds ahead of Hamilton
- Norris out due to engine failure
- Hamilton handed five-place grid penalty for Monza
Dutch GP: Piastri wins as Norris retires
Verstappen P2 on home soil
Starting from pole position, Piastri made a good start to hold on to the lead. Behind him, Verstappen was up to P2 after overtaking Norris. Eventually, Norris retook the position and maintained the pressure on his teammate after two Safety Car periods.
Any chance of a battle for victory disappeared on Lap 65/72 as smoke started emerging from Norris’ McLaren. As a result, he was forced to stop at the side of the track and retire from the race. “There’s nothing I could have done differently,” Norris said after the race. “I was having a good race until that point. To have been that close to the car ahead throughout the race isn’t easy at Zandvoort, so I’m pleased with my performance. My focus switches straight to Monza.”
With Norris out, Piastri went on to secure his seventh race win of the season. It ended up being a ‘Grand Slam’ win for the Australian, who took pole, fastest lap and led every lap en route to victory – a first for any McLaren driver since Mika Hakkinen at the 1998 Monaco GP.
Verstappen finished P2, but he admitted that he “got lucky” with Norris’ retirement: “We couldn’t match the pace of the McLarens in the race and were struggling with the tyre behaviour and grip in low speed.”
Hadjar secures maiden F1 podium
Albon P5 for Williams, Bearman P6 for Haas
After a career-best P4 in qualifying, Hadjar remained calm and in control throughout the chaotic race to finish P3, ahead of George Russell. “I didn’t expect today’s result, but achieving one of my dreams makes it even more special,” said Hadjar.
He added, “It was a tough race physically, especially after the break. I had a tricky start, but we did this on pure pace and merit.”
Williams’ Alex Albon finished fifth after starting P15 on the grid. He was followed by Haas’ Oliver Bearman, who made a one-stop strategy work after starting from the pit lane. Both Aston Martin drivers scored points, with Lance Stroll P7 and Fernando Alonso P8. Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Haas’ Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 10.
Dutch GP: Double retirement for Ferrari
Hamilton hit with five-place grid penalty for Italian GP
It was a race to forget for Ferrari, with both drivers crashing out. Lewis Hamilton was the first to crash after losing control of his car at Turn 3 while it was drizzling. To further add to his woes, he’s been handed a five-place grid penalty for the next race at Monza for failing to slow down for yellow flags on his way to the starting grid.
Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, was forced to retire after colliding with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes driver was handed a 10-second penalty for the incident, along with an additional five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, all of which dropped him to P16 in the final race classification.
2025 F1 championship standings
Piastri has now extended his championship lead to 34 points from Norris, with nine more rounds to go. Verstappen holds on to third place overall, 21 points ahead of Russell.
F1 now heads to Monza for the Italian GP on September 5-7.
