As McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris saw his hopes swelter after winning the Dutch Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri now holds a massive 34-point lead in the Formula One championship.
McLaren had been on track for a fifth successive one-two victory on a day full of drama until Norris suffered late-disappointment on Sunday after both Ferrari drivers crashed out in separate incidents.
After claiming that he could smell smoke in his car’s cockpit, Norris slowed down and took his seat in second place on lap 65 of 72, with evidence emerging from the wrecked vehicle.
Late in the race, Norris reported a “funny” smell in his cockpit while chasing Piastri.
Norris said, “I don’t know if I’m on fire or not. He had to stop because the car’s back was full of smoke.
Norris and his broken-down car met at the finish line of the race while standing behind a barrier by the trackside.
Norris’s race engineer apologized by expressing his satisfaction with his recent improvement.
Norris responded, “It’s irrelevant.”
With nine races left, Piastri’s advantage over second-placed Norris increased from nine points to 34.
After Norris’s breakdown, the Australian won by managing three safety car restarts, holding off twice, and then putting his rival Max Verstappen in his place.
Piastri addressed the team, “Nicely done, everyone, nicely done.” “I’m sorry for Lando for what occurred,” he said.
Verstappen, a native of Belgium, placed second behind Racing Bulls’ French rookie Isack Hadjar, who won his first Formula One podium, in third place and exhilarated.
As the squad celebrated its first podium appearance in four years, Hadjar was lifted off the ground and slapped on the back by a crowd of cheering team members.
This is the first step, according to Hadjar, who said, “because that was always the target since I was a child.”
In the same location, both Ferraris collided with the barriers. In yet another disappointing Ferrari race, Lewis Hamilton hit the wall in a rainstorm.
Charles Leclerc, a teammate, spun into the same barrier after being struck by Andrea Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes.
Confirmation of our top ten Zandvoort #F1 #DutchGP images. twitter.com/81hYFSRLWS
Source: Aljazeera
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