A perfect race for McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and an unlucky break for teammate Lando Norris at the Dutch Grand Prix has opened up a 34-point gap in the chase for the world championship.

Piastri powered to his seventh victory of the season during Sunday’s race to extend his lead in the standings.

The 24-year-old Australian not only qualified on pole position, but he also led from start to finish in the 72-lap race with a sublime drive.

Four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished second at his home race, while rookie Isack Hadjar from sibling team Racing Bulls came in third to earn his first-ever podium result.

McLaren picked up where it left off before the summer break, but just when it was looking like a fifth consecutive 1-2 finish for the team, Norris said on the team radio he noticed smoke and a “funny” smell in the cockpit on Lap 65. Norris slowed down to a snail’s pace and pulled out of the race as it appeared his car was also leaking oil on the track.

Although that led to a safety car and bunched up the field for a sprint to the finish for the final few laps, Piastri pulled away and built a 1.2-second advantage over Verstappen to the checkered flag.

This could turn out to be a pivotal moment in the title fight. Norris had made fine progress chipping aw had won three of the past four GPs, entered the race with a only nine-point gap

Although it’s not the end of the world (championship) for Norris with nine races remaining on the schedule, mechanical issues like these just aren’t common anymore. Norris had chipped the deficit down to nine points after winning three of the previous four races, but it’s harder when he’s fighting his teammate in an identical car. Piastri has missed the podium only twice this season (Australia and Canada) and still finished within the points both races, while Norris now has two DNFs to his name.

Fun fact: The pole-sitter has won the Dutch Grand Prix every year since the race returned to the calendar in 2021.

Did Norris have a chance to win?

Norris was in fine form to begin the weekend, topping the speed charts in all three practice sessions and missed out on pole position to Piastri by the slimmest of margins: .012 of a second.

Norris had to watch out for Verstappen in his mirrors at the start while Piastri raced away in clean air. Verstappen got ahead of Norris with softer tires, however, Norris charged back and took the high ground to reclaim second place on Lap 9.

Even if Norris had finished the race, it’s unlikely that he would have caught his teammate based on what we saw. Whenever it looked like Norris had narrowed the gap, Piastri opened it up right back. Although there were quite a few restarts following the safety cars — both actual and virtual — Norris still couldn’t get close enough to Piastri. To top it off, Norris wasn’t even in DRS range when he dropped out of race.

Hadjar holds steady to earn first podium

Isack Hadjar was the benefactor of Norris’s DNF as he continues to impress during his rookie season. Hadjar’s podium was the first for the secondary Red Bull team since Pierre Gasly at the 2021 Azerbaijan GP.

The 20-year-old Hadjar, now 10th in the standings, continues to build his case for the second seat on the main Red Bull team for next season. Then again, Yuki Tsunoda, who currently occupies that spot and is a pending free agent, finished ninth and sits 19th in the standings, so Hadjar might be better off staying where he is until the team figures out what’s going on.

Rookie mistakes: You can forgive Hadjar for not knowing where to go during the podium celebration …

… but they probably should have told him how fragile the trophy is.

Double trouble for Ferrari …

Ferrari remains second in the constructors’ championship despite a double DNF finish from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

With rain drizzling down, Hamilton lost control in the damp part of the track and crashed into the barriers on Lap 23. Proof that even the best drivers can get fooled in the rain.

Leclerc was knocked out of the race through no fault of his own though. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli lunged on Lap 53 but didn’t stick to the low banking of Turn 3 and bumped Leclerc, sending the Ferrari spinning into the wall. Nevertheless, an unfortunate weekend for Ferrari, but one the Scuderia will be able to brush off quickly with a home race next weekend at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.

It was a double whammy for Antonelli as he received a 10-second penalty for the incident and was dinged an additional five seconds for speeding through the pit lane. Antonelli, who just turned 19 last week, crossed the line sixth but was classified 16th. Both penalties show a tad too much aggression from the rookie driver who will need to dial it back.

… and double the fun for Aston Martin, Haas

What a roller-coaster weekend for Lance Stroll. The Aston Martin driver was third fastest in the first practice session, but he crashed into the barrier during the second stint later that day. The 26-year-old from Montreal wound up in the wall again during his out lap to begin qualifying and was shuffled to the back of the grid.

As the rain began to fall, it seemed questionable when Stroll pitted for hard tires well before everyone else on Lap 9, but that worked out brilliantly as he made his way up into the top 10 when others stopped later under the safety car when Hamilton hit the barriers. Stroll finished seventh for the third time in four races.

Teammate Fernando Alonso came in eighth to make it a double points finish for Aston Martin. The team needed it, too, to fend off Racing Bulls in the constructors’ championship with Hadjar’s podium finish. Aston Martin now holds a two-point advantage over Racing Bulls for sixth overall.

Also picking up double points was Haas with Ollie Bearman, who started from the pit lane and managed to finish a career-best sixth, while Esteban Ocon took 10th.

Cadillac makes solid picks for inaugural lineup  

The summer break usually triggers signing season, but the only announcement to trickle out this year was Cadillac announcing its inaugural lineup for 2026.

And what a solid lineup it’ll be with veteran drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. Both were out of rides this year, however, they bring a wealth of experience with 16 wins and 106 podium finishes combined. Bottas and Perez also helped capture constructors’ championships at Mercedes and Red Bull, respectively.

Bottas, 36, floundered at Alfa Romeo/Sauber during the previous three seasons and didn’t even score a single point last year. Perez, 35, had signed an extension with Red Bull, however, he was cut loose after a nosedive during the 2024 campaign. As it turned out, it may not have been entirely his fault with successors Liam Lawson and Tsunoda also struggling in the car. 

The lineup has “expansion draft” vibes, but Bottas and Perez will help the new team find its footing in F1.