On August 31, 2025, the Dutch Grand Prix delivered a whirlwind of excitement, and shifting highlights at the iconic Circuit Zandvoort.
From the moment the lights went out, an interesting occurrence of events took place, sparking reactions from an abundance of various fans; ranging from enraged Ferrari fans, to ecstatic McLaren supporters.
With the deliverance of Oscar Piastri’s pole-to-flag victory, it had been a successful result of deftly blocking his teammate Lando Norris into the first corner and maintaining control throughout. This masterful start set the tone for his press-on drive to victory. However, a late issue with his teammate’s car ended Lando Norris’ charge just seven laps from the finish, who had been running second place behind Piastri prior to the failure.
Despite the problem being initially diagnosed as an oil-leak, it was not immediately debriefed whether or not the issue had occurred from the Mercedes-supplied power unit or part of the car designed and built by McLaren themselves. Norris now trails behind Piastri by 34 points in the drivers’ standings with nine races left this season.
In a recent press release, the team’s principal Andrea Stella provided a brief summary on the problem ahead of the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
“We’ve identified an issue on the chassis side, and we will do a full review before we go racing again in Monza,” Stella said. “This is the first technical problem for the team after a long run of faultless reliability.”
Unfortunately, the weekend had been stunningly poor for Ferrari, as a double retirement had followed shortly after the race, ending their 2025 season’s perfect finishing record. Firstly, Charles Leclerc’s race ended after contact from behind by Kimi Antonelli.
The audacious overtake by rookie Antonelli caused the Ferrari to spin off the track and into the wall, handing the Mercedes driver a 10-second penalty for the incident on Lap 52.
Leclerc was then placed under investigation regarding the crash, with stewards eventually deeming that no further action would be taken. Lewis Hamilton had suffered his own heavy crash, retiring after losing control of his car over the painted advertising as light rain fell before hitting the barrier on the outside of the circuit.
Emma Leoncio, a student outside of Castaic High, spoke of her disappointment regarding the race.
“I felt really bad. I was so upset.. Honestly, right after both Ferrari drivers crashed, I lowkey stopped watching. I genuinely did not wait all summer for this.” Following her statement with her expectations for the Monza Prix, she simply said, “I just hope the drivers are okay. I feel like the majority of them are depressed at this point.”
A week after Piastri celebrated his grand triumph at Zandvoort, the F1 circus charged into Monza. The stakes were as high as ever. Could McLaren really sustain its momentum, or would Red Bull (the one man team consisting of Max Verstappen,) deliver a counterpunch?
With Red Bull’s Monza mastery, Verstappen turned pole into a clinical victory, winning by over 19 seconds, the largest margin this season so far. In doing so, he shattered the record for the fastest race in F1 history, clocking an average speed of 250.706 km/h over a total of 53 laps.
Notably, this achievement marked his 66th career win, Red Bull’s 125th, and his third season victory, all the while serving as Red Bull’s first win under new leadership from Laurent Mekies.
On the other hand, McLaren closed out the weekend with a 1-2 finish, Lando Norris second and Oscar Piastri third. However, the end result contradicted internal turmoil. A slow pitstop for Norris prompted McLaren to issue team orders. Piastri, despite being ahead on the track, was told to yield second place to Norris.
“Let me start by saying that the decision we made today doesn’t have [anything] to do with what happened in the Netherlands – it’s completely independent of the DNF that the team caused for Lando,” Stella told F1 TV. “This is a completely separate situation and we take one race at a time.”
The order itself sparked controversy among the team, with Piastri reportedly expressing disbelief over the radio before complying. This decision was a significant moment in the tight championship between the two drivers, as it reduced the lead Piastri held over Norris.
In the span of two weeks, we witnessed McLaren’s rise and its invisible fault lines exposed, Piastri’s victory in the Netherlands, and Verstappen’s blowback in Italy. Will McLaren’s harmon crumble under further pressure?
Can Red Bull build momentum from Verstappen’s Monza dominance? And will Ferrari finally harness energy into genuine chances? With all eyes on Azerbaijan, the championship battle is anything but predictable.
