Mercedes boss Toto Wolff looking upset in front of Dutch flag — Photo: © IMAGO

Dutch Grand Prix

Mercedes do irreversible damage after destructive Dutch GP

The events of the Dutch GP could prove fatal in both F1 championships

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 31 August 2025 21:13

The Dutch Grand Prix was a nightmare for so many teams and drivers, but Mercedes were at the heart of the chaos in Zandvoort this weekend.

The events of the 15th round of the 2025 season could prove to have a lasting effect on both championships, so let's take a look at where it all went wrong and how Toto Wolff's F1 team are to blame.

Heading into Sunday's main event, the order seemed fairly standard- Oscar Piastri on pole, team-mate and title challenger Lando Norris just behind him, and reigning champion/home hero Max Verstappen lining up P3.

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Further down the order were the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who started the grand prix in P6 and P7 respectively- but oh boy were things about to go downhill from there.

After just 23 laps of the 72 lap event, seven-time champion Hamilton crashed out of the Dutch GP, setting an example that Leclerc would later follow, though through no fault of his own.

Come lap 53 and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli demonstrated that four weeks off for the summer break is clearly too many, appearing to forget that causing a collision has consequences in this sport!

The 19-year-old triggered the safety car on Sunday after taking out Leclerc's Ferrari as the pair approached the banked Turn 3, bringing an end to the Monegasque star's race.

Are Mercedes to blame for more than one DNF at the Dutch GP?

Mercedes at heart of Dutch GP DNFs

Antonelli lived up to his rookie status at Zandvoort and didn't pick up any points for Mercedes thanks to the total of 15 seconds worth of penalties he was handed following the incident.

A P16 finish for the Italian hardly helped Mercedes in their fight to catch Ferrari, but thanks to a P4 result for George Russell, Mercedes are now just 12 points behind the Scuderia in the constructors' standings after a point-less weekend for Hamilton and Leclerc.

And Mercedes' meddling didn't stop there. Just as the crowd thought it was all over, title challenger Norris delivered a devastating team radio reporting an oil leak.

The Mercedes engine in his MCL39 had failed, ruling him out of the race, also at the hands of the Silver Arrows.

Now, let's be fair. Wolff's F1 team were much less directly to blame for Norris' second DNF of the season, but the fact remains that the lack of reliability that comes with their power units has now finally interfered with the 2025 championship.

McLaren may have run away with the team title but the fight for second and third could come down to the wire, as could the battle for the drivers' title.

Flash forward to the Abu Dhabi and the events of this year's Dutch GP could be the difference between a maiden title for Norris and P2 in the team standings for Ferrari.

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