Piastri Insists Norris “Not Out of the Fight”

Oscar Piastri has warned against writing off Lando Norris in the Formula 1 title race, despite opening up a 34-point advantage over his McLaren teammate after the Dutch Grand Prix.

Norris had been running second to Piastri at Zandvoort when his engine failed, handing the Australian a clear run to victory and a potentially decisive swing in the championship battle. With nine races left, Norris would need to win the next five with Piastri second in each just to retake the lead.

But the 24-year-old championship leader insists the fight is far from over. “It’s a bit more difficult now, but I don’t expect much to change,” Piastri said. “I think we’ll race each other the same way. We’re both trying to be as fast as we can. It’s not like we’ve been holding anything back. I’ve had a much bigger gap than this in the juniors and had it pretty much erased before the final round. So for me, the approach is still exactly the same.”

McLaren has won 12 of the 15 races so far this season, a level of dominance Piastri admitted he had not anticipated. “The gap to everyone else and the amount of wins, that’s probably the most surprising one. To have that many wins and to have a car and a team that’s been so dominant, that’s been the biggest surprise. The car has been a joy to drive.”

Norris, meanwhile, has vowed to keep fighting but admitted the team’s runaway advantage has made the battle more frustrating. “We’re so dominant as a team, that almost makes my life harder,” he said. “Otherwise, yeah, it’s still to an effect ‘may the best man win’. If that’s the case at the end of the season, then I’ll respect that.”

The Briton said he had been able to quickly move on from the disappointment of Zandvoort. “It’s been one of the things I’ve been working on a lot away from the track. I still get frustrated when I miss out on pole or don’t win races, but I’m much better at dealing with it now and not letting it affect anything else. So it was surprisingly easy to put it behind me and look ahead to Monza.”

Norris added that he hopes to claw back the deficit without relying on misfortune for his teammate. “I just wish that I can find that last little bit that I can still win the championship without anything happening. If I lose the championship by those points, then I just have to keep my chin up and try again next year. In the end, if Oscar’s done a better job, I’ll give him credit for it.”

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza marks the final European round of the season, with both McLaren drivers knowing that the battle between them could define the remainder of 2025.

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