His championship lead is now a foreboding 34 points with nine rounds remaining.<\/p>\n
It was good news for Piastri, but for McLaren his win was bittersweet.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1756769048_562_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Some have said the pensive looks on the faces of McLaren staff after the race suggest McLaren bias for Norris\u2019s title campaign.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a nonsense idea, however, after 15 rounds during which the team has painstakingly attempted to keep things as even as possible.<\/p>\n
If there was any tentativeness in celebration, it reflected only the respect the team has for its drivers \u2014 and the heavy weight of knowing that one of them has had their title chances severely dented by their machinery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have had today what looks like a technical reliability problem, which is always disappointing,\u201d team boss Andrea Stella said, per PlanetF1.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I would say that is even more inconvenient because it affects a situation in which we, as a team, wanted to stay as neutral as possible in what is the driver\u2019s individual quest in the drivers championship.\u201d<\/p>\n
After months of trying to avoid interfering, the team has unintentionally swung the championship Piastri\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
For the thousands of people responsible for building the car and the power unit, it\u2019s a heavy burden to bear \u2014 and it\u2019s one that\u2019s completely changed the complexion of the season.<\/p>\n
PIT TALK PODCAST: Oscar Piastri controlled the Dutch Grand Prix for a deserved victory but lucked into a massive points swing when Lando Norris retired from second place with engine trouble. Now 34 points up the road, is it Piastri\u2019s championship to lose?<\/p>\n
WHAT WENT WRONG?<\/p>\n
Norris\u2019s retirement was the sixth Mercedes-related power unit failure of the season, an unusually high error rate for the German marque, which for almost all the turbo-hybrid era has been the class leader.<\/p>\n
Andrea Kimi Antonelli retired from his home Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix with a throttle problem.<\/p>\n
Fernando Alonso exited the Monaco Grand Prix with an energy recovery system issue just a day after George Russell\u2019s Mercedes stopped on track during Q2 with a loss of power, which was put down to some short-circuiting wires.<\/p>\n
Antonelli\u2019s Spanish Grand Prix ended with an oil leak, and on that same day Alex Albon limped around the circuit with cooling problems before retiring with damage.<\/p>\n
Albon retired with cooling problems in the following rounds in Canada and Austria.<\/p>\n
Now Norris has retired with a power unit problem. He reported immediately on team radio that it was an oil leak.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear whether it\u2019s the same issue that afflicted Antonelli in Spain. Both engines let go suddenly, though whereas Antonelli speared off into the gravel, Norris was able to slow and stop at the side of the road.<\/p>\n
These failures aren\u2019t necessarily attributable to Mercedes. Overheating, for example, can be down to bodywork shape and the size of the cooling apertures. The power unit is obviously a part of the whole package, and how it interacts with the rest of the car can influence reliability.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s also difficult to ignore what looks like a trend of Mercedes-powered cars having a higher incidence of engine-related problems.<\/p>\n
That said, it\u2019s difficult to imagine why Mercedes might suddenly have a reliability problem. Power unit development has been banned for several years, and since its introduction in 2014 the Mercedes motor has been pretty much bulletproof. It\u2019s an odd time for spate of failures.<\/p>\n
Stella said immediately after the race that the underlying cause wasn\u2019t clear, but later than night via press release that it was a McLaren issue, not a Mercedes one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve identified an issue on the chassis side, and we will do a full review before we go racing again in Monza,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the first technical problem for the team after a long run of faultless reliability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Chassis\u2019 in this context doesn\u2019t mean the literal car chassis; Stella is delineating between what is Mercedes\u2019s responsibility as the engine supplier and McLaren\u2019s remit as the chassis constructor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fairness, it doesn\u2019t make, in terms of the result, a big difference,\u201d Stella said before the problem had been identified. \u201cEven in how this is perceived, I want to take the opportunity to remind ourselves that we just see chassis, engine \u2014 it\u2019s one single team.\u201d<\/p>\n
In some ways it could be a relief that the problem is on McLaren\u2019s side of the fence. Assuming it\u2019s correctly identified, it\u2019s within the power of the team to rectify it. A problem inherent in the power unit could be more difficult to solve.<\/p>\n
Norris shattered after engine failure | 03:26<\/p>\n
TREMBLE BEFORE THE TEMPLE OF SPEED<\/p>\n
If a team ever wanted certainty around power unit performance, it would be this week.<\/p>\n
This weekend\u2019s Italian Grand Prix is the sternest test of engine performance on the calendar.<\/p>\n
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza isn\u2019t known as the Temple of Speed for nothing. It\u2019s the fastest lap in Formula 1, with the track record \u2014 held by Lewis Hamilton from 2020 \u2014 set at 1 minutes 18.887 seconds, an average speed of 246.4 kilometres per hour <\/p>\n
An F1 driver spends 84 per cent of the 5.793-kilometre circuit at full throttle. That equates to around a full minute with their right foot flat to the floor.<\/p>\n
The track\u2019s sensitivity to power is why teams would often unseal a new engine for this race.<\/p>\n
But with teams still restricted to \u2014 broadly speaking \u2014 four power units each and with Monza round 16 of the 24-round season, that\u2019s no longer the case.<\/p>\n
Almost every driver \u2014 including Norris and Piastri \u2014 have maxed out their allocation of core engine components.<\/p>\n
At the time of writing it\u2019s unclear whether Norris will be able to use the power unit that failed at the Dutch Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
If it\u2019s unrecoverable, he\u2019ll have two choices.<\/p>\n
The first is to use a power unit that could have higher mileage on it and is therefore slower.<\/p>\n
The second is to take a brand-new power unit and cop a grid penalty of at least 10 places but more likely be forced to start from the back of the grid.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s a risk that Norris may need a new motor, Monza is as good a place as any to take one. With almost no other drivers able to take a new power unit, he\u2019d be able to run with a power advantage that could see him make up ground quickly.<\/p>\n
It would also mean he has one fresher power unit in his pool than Piastri in the title fight.<\/p>\n
Ice cool Piastri ‘in control’ after win | 01:29<\/p>\n
THE PIASTRI STAT THAT MATTERS<\/p>\n
Unreliability is a cruel way for a championship to be decided. Once upon time, when reliability was significantly worse in Formula 1, you could be sure that it would eventually balance out over a season. There were even years in which a certain number of each driver\u2019s worst results wouldn\u2019t be counted in their final points tally, smoothing out the classification.<\/p>\n
But in 2025, the final year of this rule book, cars are highly reliable. This is the first mechanical failure McLaren has had all season.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no reason to think Piastri is due a failure of his own \u2014 assuming Norris\u2019s problem has been identified and rectified.<\/p>\n
But there is one statistic that might give Norris fans hope, even in a perverse way.<\/p>\n
Piastri is on a remarkable yet understated run of results.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s seen the chequered flag for 43 races in a row, which is the equal second-longest finishing run in Formula 1 history. He\u2019s tied with Max Verstappen on that number, while Hamilton holds the record, with 38 uninterrupted finishes between 2018 and 2020.<\/p>\n
Piastri has also scored points on 41 successive race weekends. That puts him second behind Verstappen (43) and Hamilton (48).<\/p>\n
If he were to finish every race for the rest of the season and if he were to score on every occasion, he would break both records.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s credit to Piastri\u2019s unflappability. But these are records for a reason.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s difficult to go so long without befalling misfortune.<\/p>\n
Every win brings you closer to your next loss. You could argue that statistically Piastri is due.<\/p>\n
The good news for him is that he now has the points for a DNF in his pocket. He could fail to score on a day Norris wins and still retain the title lead.<\/p>\n
‘Rookie mistake’ costs Leclerc his race | 01:23<\/p>\n
THE CHAMPIONSHIP EQUATION<\/p>\n
Even with nine rounds still to go, Piastri\u2019s title position is strong \u2014 though it\u2019s obviously far from impregnable.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s assume McLaren finishes every remaining race in one-two formation. That\u2019s unlikely given some of the sport\u2019s most unusual tracks are still to come, though the team has a good chance of dominating most of the rest of the rounds.<\/p>\n
If Piastri were to win three more rounds he would be able to finish second to Norris at every remaining race without losing the lead \u2014 assuming he scored at least 12 points over the three sprint races still to come.<\/p>\n
The next three races are in Italy, Azerbaijan and Singapore. The first two are nominally Piastri tracks, though last year Norris was the dominant McLaren driver in Singapore.<\/p>\n
Norris, on the other hand, would have to win five grands prix just to level the scores \u2014 or, specifically, draw one point ahead.<\/p>\n
The Briton would have to win seven of the last nine grands prix to take championship destiny out of Piastri\u2019s hands \u2014 that is, to be able to finish second to Piastri in the remaining races without losing the lead.<\/p>\n
McLaren\u2019s dominant position is ironically a burden for Norris. If Piastri still finishes second on his bad days, Norris is limited in how much ground he can make up.<\/p>\n
Instead he\u2019ll need some good fortune at the circuits McLaren might be unable to dominate \u2014 he\u2019ll need to hope Verstappen or Russell or Charles Leclerc can get in between him in the lead and Piastri in third to multiply the swing in his favour.<\/p>\n
Nine rounds is still a significant amount of time. It\u2019s too early to consider the above calculations as a map to the championship.<\/p>\n
But it does ratchet up the urgency as the sport prepared to leave the comfort of Europe for the final time this season.<\/p>\n
‘Most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen!’ | 01:14<\/p>\n
HOW WILL NORRIS RESPOND?<\/p>\n
We\u2019d been braced to see both Piastri and Norris put under the immense pressure of close championship finish.<\/p>\n
We might yet see that. But first we\u2019re going to see a totally different dynamic play out.<\/p>\n
Piastri is the hunted. Norris is his hunter.<\/p>\n
While the title is far from finished, Piastri may have to find himself combating the feeling that he\u2019s got some breathing room. All three of his junior titles were won in down-to-the-wire scenarios. Bizarrely his cushy lead is uncharted territory for him.<\/p>\n
His studious, workmanlike approach is what delivered him to this place. Any change to that could harm his chances.<\/p>\n
Norris\u2019s response will be more interesting, however.<\/p>\n
His retirement was a gut punch to his championship chances, but immediately on team radio \u2014 as his engineer, Will Joseph, attempted profusely to dull the pain \u2014 he played down its significance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d he said. \u201cUnlucky, boys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting later that evening, he said he would take it in his stride.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course it\u2019s frustrating,\u201d he said, per ESPN. \u201cIt hurts a bit for sure in a championship point of view. It\u2019s a lot of points to lose so quickly and so easily.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing I can do is try to win every race. That\u2019s going to be difficult, but I\u2019ll make sure I give it everything I can.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a good teammate. He\u2019s strong, he\u2019s quick in every situation, every scenario. It\u2019s hard to get things back on someone who is just good in pretty much every situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing I can control now, just take it on the chin and move on.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s almost a big enough gap now that I can just chill out about it and just go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
What does that look like for Norris?<\/p>\n
While he was error-prone early in the season, he\u2019s been in impressively clean form since the Austrian Grand Prix, where he won from pole to bounce back from his clumsy crash in Canada.<\/p>\n
But if he was feeling any pressure and is now feeling freed of its weight, perhaps will see a new Norris from this weekend\u2019s Italian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
Will he be faster or more aggressive? Certainly he\u2019ll be more motivated to take more risks given his deficit. The on-track dynamic between him and Piastri could change.<\/p>\n
Drivers always discover something about themselves in their first championship fight. For all the contextual changes wrought by the Dutch Grand Prix and Norris\u2019s faulty engine, that fact remains the same for him and Piastri over the final nine rounds of the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oscar Piastri\u2019s victory at the Dutch Grand Prix was a significant moment for the championship, just not in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113949,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[2095,12295,13273,1724,64,63,3159,961,81121,81111,2065,4971,81114,81124,81136,81116,21752,21763,81123,13275,81135,81129,81097,81134,81115,18777,81138,21779,81095,81098,15186,81117,81126,81133,81130,81112,81118,8098,800,2057,817,81109,845,81119,68432,813,816,81101,3875,14211,81100,81102,43485,81096,2328,81099,1737,81094,825,16255,2041,2067,81106,81122,2119,18923,81108,77365,81127,81137,81132,81128,37290,81131,81104,942,2812,3595,2020,85,16276,81110,81105,81125,81113,26124,21760,31303,21784,81107,81103,81120,12000,2062],"class_list":["post-113948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-america","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-andrea-stella","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-austria","tag-azerbaijan","tag-brand-new-power-unit","tag-breathing-room","tag-canada","tag-carlos-sainz","tag-championship-aspirations","tag-championship-chances","tag-championship-destiny","tag-championship-equation","tag-championship-fight","tag-championship-lead","tag-championship-point","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-chassis-constructor","tag-chassis-side","tag-class-leader","tag-close-championship-finish","tag-cooling-problems","tag-dominant-position","tag-drivers-able","tag-drivers-championship","tag-energy-recovery-system","tag-engine-components","tag-engine-failure","tag-engine-failureformula","tag-engine-performance","tag-engine-supplier","tag-engine-trouble","tag-engines-let","tag-equal-second-longest-finishing","tag-error-rate","tag-espn-inc","tag-europe","tag-f1","tag-fans-hope","tag-fernando-alonso","tag-final-points-tally","tag-football-league-championship","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-fresher-power-unit","tag-george-russell","tag-grands-prix","tag-grid-penalty","tag-gut-punch","tag-horror-day","tag-immense-pressure","tag-italy","tag-junior-titles","tag-lando-norris","tag-literal-car-chassis","tag-max-verstappen","tag-netherlands","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-oil-leak","tag-pinching-pole","tag-pit-talk","tag-power-unit","tag-power-unit-development","tag-power-unit-problem","tag-recovery-system-issue","tag-reliability-problem","tag-remaining-race","tag-rookie-mistake","tag-rule-book","tag-season-changing-engine-drama","tag-short-circuiting-wires","tag-singapore","tag-south-eastern-asia","tag-southern-europe","tag-spain","tag-sports","tag-sprint-races","tag-sternest-test","tag-successive-race-weekends","tag-technical-reliability-problem","tag-throttle-problem","tag-title-chances","tag-title-fight","tag-title-hopes","tag-title-lead","tag-title-position","tag-unit-failure","tag-unit-performance","tag-western-asia","tag-western-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}