The Tragic Impact Lando Norris’ Zandvoort DNF May Have On His Season

After the start of the 2025 season, fans quickly realized that the car built by McLaren was much quicker than the rest of the field. Race after race, Norris and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, disappeared from the sights of other drivers, consistently winning Grand Prix and staying on top of the leaderboards.

The differences in points between Norris and Piastri were never too big, although the latter always tended to stay just a tiny bit ahead of his rival. Although the Australian had won more Grand Prix, his teammate was always close behind. By the time Zandvoort came around, they were separated by only nine points.

What Happened In Zandvoort?

Norris’ weekend began as well as it could, with him topping all three practice sessions and becoming the clear favorite for pole. Unfortunately, his luck ran out just in time for qualifying, which he ended only 0.012s behind Piastri. Despite Norris’ hopes for the best spot on the grid, he had to settle for starting second.

Things went from bad to worse when, at the start, instead of moving past his teammate, Norris got overtaken by the home hero, Max Verstappen. Norris managed to reclaim the position on lap nine, but remained behind Piastri for the bigger part of the Grand Prix. Despite multiple safety cars neutralizing the race, he was never quite close enough to attempt an overtake.

With only a handful of laps to go, Norris began closing the gap to Piastri, making fans hope that a fight for the lead could still be in the cards. Then, tragedy struck. Eight laps before the end of the Grand Prix, Norris reported smelling smoke. Soon after, he was forced to retire from the race.

The Incident’s Impact On The Season

Piastri went on to win the Dutch Grand Prix, and with Norris failing to score a single point, the difference between the two grew to 34 points. It may not seem like a lot, but with a fight that was so close up to that point, it will be hard for the Brit to catch up. Assuming that the McLarens will go on to score a 1-2 in the nine remaining races, which isn’t hard to imagine, Norris would need to win at least seven of them to beat Piastri by one point.

Is that doable? Of course, but it is also incredibly hard to execute. That is why Norris looked so dejected after the DNF as he sat alone by the track. The season won’t be over until its very final race, but scales of victory seem to have tipped in Piastri’s direction.

End Of My Lando Norris Rant

Norris’ tragedy can also end up having a big impact on the fans watching at home. As mentioned above, the McLarens were, and continue to be, too quick for anyone to try and challenge them. The Constructors’ Championship is all but settled, and that means that the title fight is the only truly interesting part of the season. If it ends with nine races still to go, what will keep the fans tuning into the Grand Prix?