Piastri's 'Painful' Dutch GP: A Downhill Spiral After a Strong Start

Oscar Piastri has charted how his Dutch Grand Prix quickly went "downhill" during a "painful" race, as he finished sixth – 32 seconds behind McLaren teammate and race winner Lando Norris at Zandvoort. The Australian made a brilliant start from the restart, but his afternoon unraveled after a slow pit stop and a difficult final stint on hard tyres.

Why it matters:

Piastri's struggles came on a weekend when the McLaren was the class of the field, with Norris cruising to a second straight win. The contrast between the two cars was stark, and for Piastri it was another missed opportunity to build momentum. If McLaren is to secure both championships, they need both drivers operating at the same level – and Piastri knows he's not there yet.

The details:

• Restarting from fifth after Max Verstappen's crash, Piastri made a strong start on hard tyres, sweeping past Charles Leclerc and George Russell to run third by the end of the first sector.
• However, a slow pit stop dropped him behind Russell. He then switched early to a second set of hard tyres, leaving him exposed later on after another stop.
• He ultimately fell to sixth behind Russell, Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton, 32 seconds adrift of Norris.
• Piastri admitted the hard tyre was "not great" and that the second set degraded after just five laps, making the final stint a "mess."
• He also reported picking up marbles after the Ferraris passed, further compromising his pace.

"There's not really one clear issue," Piastri said. "Obviously, the slow first stop was a bit painful, and the pace afterwards was painful, but I don't think our strategy was the main issue. The first stint felt reasonable, but the second set of hards was okay for five laps, and then a mess. It's not the first race where the pace just hasn't been there, so we need to understand why."

What's next:

Piastri insists the car is in a good place, pointing to Norris's dominant win as proof. The task now is to figure out why he couldn't extract the same performance. McLaren will want both drivers firing on all cylinders as the season enters its next phase – and Piastri will be determined to close the gap.