F1 title race takes massive twist with catastrophic Dutch Grand Prix failure

The 2025 F1 drivers' championship has taken a massive turn at the Dutch Grand Prix, with challenger Lando Norris retiring from the race in the late stages.

Norris had spent the whole race behind team-mate and championship leader Oscar Piastri without ever truly challenging him before suffering a catastrophic oil leak, immediately pulling the car over to retire.

F1 RESULTS: Late drama as title contender OUT at Dutch Grand Prix

The Brit's retirement, coupled with Piastri driving on to take the full 25 points on offer, means that the Australian is now 34 points clear in the standings.

Norris' engineer Will Joseph attempted to console the 25-year-old, but the British racer responded: "It doesn't matter... unlucky boys, unlucky."

Mercedes provide McLaren with the engines for their F1 machinery, but the Silver Arrows have faced problems this season with their power units, and the Sky Sports team certainly felt Norris' DNF was another victim of this problem.

Speaking after Norris was officially ruled out of the race due to engine failure, Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok noted: "All weekend we were saying we didn't want a reliability problem to ruin the championship battle.

"We saw the Mercedes power units earlier this season with the works cars, with Fernando Alonso all having issues, we hadn't seen one yet in one of the McLarens and today we have, I'm devastated for Lando."

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McLaren battle takes fresh twist after Norris Dutch GP exit

Heading into the Dutch GP, Norris was just nine points behind championship leader and team-mate Oscar Piastri.

This unfortunate result for Norris not only marks his second DNF of the season, but is also likely to prove a major setback in the fight for the drivers' title.

Piastri went on to claim victory at the Dutch GP, picking up 25 more points to add to his tally.

With many expecting the battle between the two McLarens to go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi in nine races time, Piastri's extended lead now means Norris certainly has some catching up to do.

The F1 championship continues on its demanding 24-race calendar next weekend for the Italian GP at the iconic Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

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