Norris’s title chances took a heavy blow when his McLaren broke down after smoke poured from the back of the car.Published On 31 Aug 202531 Aug 2025Oscar Piastri has won the Dutch Grand Prix to take a mighty 34-point lead in the Formula One championship as McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris saw his hopes go up in smoke.On a day of drama, with both Ferrari drivers crashing out in separate incidents, McLaren had been heading for a record-equalling fifth successive one-two win until Norris suffered late despair on the track on Sunday.After saying he could smell smoke in the cockpit, Norris slowed and retired from second place on lap 65 of 72 with visible evidence coming out of the back of his stricken car.Norris was chasing Piastri late in the race when the British driver reported a “funny” smell in his cockpit.“I don’t know if I’m on fire or not,” Norris said. Smoke poured from the back of the car, and he had to stop.Norris ended the race standing behind a barrier at the side of the track with race marshals and his broken-down car.Norris’s race engineer tried to console him by telling him how good his pace had been.“Doesn’t matter,” Norris responded.Piastri’s lead over second-placed Norris increased from nine points to 34 …
