Oscar Piastri left Zandvoort with his seventh win of the season and a commanding 34-point lead in the championship, but the McLaren star is adamant the Formula 1 title fight is far from over.
The Australian converted pole position into a lights-to-flag triumph at the Dutch Grand Prix, holding off relentless pressure from team-mate and title rival Lando Norris – until fate intervened.
On Lap 64, smoke billowed from the back of Norris’ car, forcing him to pull over and handing Piastri a clear path to the chequered flag.
“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,” Piastri reflected afterwards.
“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.”
From Last Year’s Struggles to Pole and Victory
The Dutch GP provided a sharp contrast to 2024, when Norris stormed to victory by 22 seconds while Piastri could manage only fourth. This weekend, however, the Aussie flipped the script.
Initially, Norris looked the stronger McLaren driver in practice, but Piastri delivered when it mattered most—snatching pole position on Saturday before expertly managing the race on Sunday.
“Nothing special, just trying to improve everywhere we can,” Piastri said of his turnaround.
“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.
“Very happy, obviously a couple of Safety Cars that spiced it up a little bit and we weathered it all so very proud of the whole team.
“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.”
Eyes on the Title – But One Race at a Time
Victory in Zandvoort gives Piastri breathing space in the standings with just nine races left, but the 23-year-old is wary of getting ahead of himself in what remains a finely balanced championship fight.
“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 and keep doing it one race at a time,” he insisted.
The next stop is Monza, Ferrari’s home race, where Piastri will again be under pressure from Norris, Verstappen, and the resurgent Racing Bulls.
But for now, McLaren’s rising star has cemented himself as the man to beat – calm, clinical, and, crucially, cautious about what lies ahead.
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