Oscar Piastri speaks out after Lando Norris’ McLaren struggles at the Dutch Grand Prix

Speaking after the race, Piastri told Sky Sports F1’s Giedo van der Garde (31/8 3:50 pm): 

“Yeah, it feels good obviously. I feel like it’s a pretty hard act to follow Isack standing up here, so I’ll try my best.

“But, yeah, I controlled the race when I needed to and, obviously, it was incredibly unfortunate for Lando at the end.

“Still, I felt like I was in control of that one and just used the pace when I needed to.

“It was a bit of a different race to 12 months ago, so I’m very happy with all the work we’ve done to try and improve around here, and very satisfied to come out on top.”

When asked about the improvements he made compared to his struggles a year ago, Piastri responded: “Nothing special, just trying to improve everywhere we can.

“At the start of this weekend, it was looking like a difficult one, but I managed to get it together in qualifying, and then I was happy with the pace I had today.

“Very, very happy. Obviously, a couple of safety cars spiced it up a little bit, but we weathered it all. I’m 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, big team effort.”

Oscar Piastri’s mother responds to Dutch GP win

Piastri has now opened up a 34-point gap over Norris in the drivers’ standings, the biggest margin we have seen between them this year.

With just nine races left on the calendar, it is a significant lead and puts Norris under real pressure heading into the final stretch.

While Oscar Piastri may not be known for grand celebrations, his mother, Nicole Piastri, has gained recognition for her animated reactions and social media presence throughout his career.

After the race, she posted on X: “Just another chilled race for us here.”

Nicole would have been anxious when Norris had his mechanical issue. But now Oscar looks to be in pole position to become Australia’s next Formula 1 world champion.

McLaren’s ‘trick’ seemed to work again at Zandvoort. Now it is up to Piastri to finish the job between now and Abu Dhabi.