Piastri: I felt in control throughout the race

However, in the end, a close fight between Piastri and Norris was not meant to be, as the latter retired with a smoky McLaren MCL39, which meant the former now leads the 2025 Formula 1 Championship by 34 points.

"I'm really pleased to come away with the win," Piastri said in McLaren's post-race report. "I felt in control throughout the race and was able to push and save where I needed to.

"However, it was incredibly unfortunate for Lando, as you never want to see your teammate DNF or gain points in that way.

"I am very satisfied with the job we've done and all of the work to ensure we could maximize everything around here, improving everywhere.

"Thank you to the team for their work. We've still got a long way to go," the 2025 F1 championship leader concluded.

With nine races remaining, Norris' retirement might prove pivotal in the title fight between him and Piastri, who now has the points advantage in addition to the fact that he ended the Briton's momentum, who won three of the past five races.

But Piastri's manager and former F1 driver Mark Webber begged to differ, opting for a more cautious approach; he told Sky Sports F1 after the race in Zandvoort: "Long way to go [in the title fight].

"We’ve got races like Brazil, where it rains. We’ve got Singapore, Azerbaijan, which are street circuits where anything can happen.

"But like we say in cricket, we’d rather have the runs on the board than not. It’s a great day for him; he deserved the win, and you’ve got to grab the points when you can.

"He’s had a few misses this year, out of his control, so good that he doubled down today," Webber concluded.