Lando Norris’ boss comments on technical issue after heartbreaking DNF in Zandvoort

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has reacted following the DNF suffered by Lando Norris at the Dutch Grand Prix. The 54-year-old detailed how the team noticed a problem with the car of the British driver, which was responsible for his failure to finish.

Stella, who spoke to the media following the conclusion of the race, explained how the team detected a problem with the chassis of Norris’ car, which would result in the engine blowup he suffered.

"We’ve identified an issue on the chassis side, and we will do a full review before we go racing again in Monza. This is the first technical problem for the team after a long run of faultless reliability."

Lando Norris appeared to be on course for a podium finish during the Dutch Grand Prix until he suffered an oil leak on the 54th lap of the race. The nine-time race winner would subsequently see his race go up in smoke, quite literally, a few minutes after he took to the radio to complain about a leak he felt in his car.

The DNF recorded by Norris would also see him lose further ground in the title fight to his teammate Oscar Piastri, with the gap now widened to 34 points from an initial nine points deficit when the Dutch Grand Prix commenced.

Lando Norris reacts after his DNF at the Dutch Grand Prix

Lando Norris spoke on his engine failure during the Dutch Grand Prix. The 25-year-old expressed how disappointed he felt with how his race ended at the Zandvoort circuit.

Norris, who entered the race with the aim of closing the gap to his teammate in their title fight, stressed how frustrating it was, particularly considering he couldn’t do anything about it. He said via F1:

“It’s just a tough race. I was a bit disappointed, but there’s nothing I could really do about it in the end. Frustrating, but it’s out of my control, so nothing I can do.”

Lando Norris, however, concluded by opting to focus on a few positives he could muster from the race at the Dutch dunes.

“I thought I did a good job, but it doesn’t help much, doesn’t mean much. It doesn’t mean I got more points or whatever, it’s just reassuring that the pace was strong, and I look ahead to the next one.”

Norris will now shift focus to having a much smoother race weekend when Formula 1 heads to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver finished on the podium during the 2024 edition of the race. The British driver will, however, be aiming for a race victory this time around, especially considering the need to close the gap to Piastri if he wants to keep his championship fight alive.