McLaren driver Oscar Piastri extended his World Championship lead at Zandvoort, but despite his comfortable advantage, he refuses to consider the title race decided.
“There’s still a long way to go,” said Piastri after his seventh victory in 15 Grand Prix races. “34 points is not a comfortable lead.”
The technical retirement of his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in Zandvoort showed that you can never feel safe. “A retirement can change everything very, very quickly,” said Piastri. “We saw that this weekend.”
World championship gap wider than ever this year
Piastri started the Grand Prix with a nine-point lead over Norris. Norris was on course for second place for much of the race and would have lost only seven points to Piastri. This suddenly opened up a gap between the two that is bigger than a Grand Prix victory.
But Piastri does not want to let up: “I have to keep pushing and try to win races.” Because Norris will leave no stone unturned to catch Piastri.
Verstappen explains the World Championship situation
Defending World Champion Max Verstappen, who himself only has an outside chance of winning the title in 2025, agrees. He says: “As the pursuer, you have to keep working hard and keep trying to win. It’s as simple as that.”
Verstappen also points to the remaining Grands Prix in the 2025 season: “There are still a lot of races to come. And you can see how quickly things can change. You don’t know if you’ll have a technical defect. That’s not in your hands anyway. So there are still enough races left to turn the tide again – and only time will tell.”
But is the previously friendly relationship between the McLaren teammates in danger of breaking down as the World Championship title fight intensifies? Piastri doesn’t think so: “The relationship between Lando and me hasn’t changed. If anything, we know each other better now and actually get along even better than before.”
Compliments and comparisons from all sides
And Piastri is receiving plenty of compliments: he has already been compared to four-time Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost because he drives as calculatedly as the former champion. His coolness and few mistakes remind other observers of record world champion Michael Schumacher.
Piastri is flattered: “Any time you’re mentioned in the same sentence as Michael Schumacher, it’s a good thing. However, I have a long way to go before I can even be mentioned in the same breath as someone like him — but I accept the compliment.”
