Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Helmut Marko Gives ‘Tricky’ Verdict on Lando Norris’ Title Hopes After Dutch GP DNF

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Armaan Agarwal | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 1:34 AM ET

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the two main contenders for the 2025 Formula 1 world title. The two McLaren drivers are going head-to-head at every race. However, Norris faced a major blow last weekend at the Dutch GP when he was forced to retire the car. Red Bull Motorsport Consultant Dr. Helmut Marko reckoned that this retirement could not have come at a worse time for the 25-year-old.

Since the start of the season, Oscar Piastri has had an upper hand on Lando Norris. The Australian driver surpassed expectations and is currently leading the championship. After Norris’ DNF at Zandvoort, the gap between the two has increased to 34 points, a significant gap with just less than half of the season remaining. Although, a DNF for Piastri would shake things up.

Helmut Marko admitted that Lando Norris’ DNF came at the wrong time. Norris was forced to park his car during the race after a technical issue with no fault of his own. Marko asserted that the championship is at a crucial stage right now. Thus, this result could indeed make things much trickier for the McLaren driver.

This off-ball really hit him at the wrong time. It happened at a very decisive stage of the championship, so it’s going to be very tricky now.
Helmut Marko told ORF

McLaren has the fastest car this season. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are fighting for race wins, with the rest of the grid struggling to catch-up. Thus, it could take Norris a few races to bring down the gap even if he manages to win all the upcoming rounds.

Helmut Marko declares Lando Norris’ defeat a ‘done deal’

Helmut Marko is known for his blatant comments. the 82-year-old never hides his feelings. Following Oscar Piastri’s victory at the Dutch GP, Marko is certain that the Australian driver will go on to claim the championship.

The Red Bull advisor pointed out that through the Dutch GP, Oscar Piastri knew exactly how to defend against Lando Norris in every situation. The Australian driver had far better control over the race than his teammate. This gives Marko such confidence in Piastri that he even claimed that the title was now a done deal.

In the case of Piastri, we saw that every time Norris attacked Piastri managed to counter those attacks. It is my opinion that Oscar managed to control the race very sovereignly and so I fear that it is a done deal in Piastri’s favor.
Helmut Marko noted

Certainly, Oscar Piastri is the man of the moment while Lando Norris is struggling to catch up. Norris needs to push himself to the limit in the coming races if he wants to even stay in contention. Moreover, the British driver would hope that his teammate gets a similar taste of bad luck at least once in the coming weeks.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: