Lando Norris has been forced to retire from the Dutch Grand Prix after a suspected engine problem, in what could prove a pivotal moment in the Drivers' Championship.
A large plume of smoke came from the back of the English driver's McLaren, with the safety car coming out shortly after.
The incident has been described as a "huge shame" by fans online, who feel as though this could prove decisive.
Norris, who is chasing McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri on the leaderboard, was also behind the Australian on the day. If he was to have overtaken his team-mate, the points gap would have stood at nine. Instead it now stands at 34, with Piastri victorious on the day.
Lando Norris has been forced to retire from the Dutch Grand Prix after a suspected engine problem, in what could prove a pivotal moment in the Drivers' Championship
|REUTERS
In a photo posted on social media, Norris could be seen sat with his head hung in despair at what had happened.
And fans were quick to X to express how they felt abut the situation, with one viewer writing: "Being a Lando Norris fan is damaging my health right now."
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And it’s all a little much for little Lando Norris… pic.twitter.com/GO3zWUGckK
— lara☀️ (@larabrtn) August 31, 2025
Another said: "That's an awful way to end the race, and potentially the season for Lando Norris."
A third pointed to other incidents during the race, that saw both Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton forced out.
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"I can't believe this race what the hell was that double ferrari dnf and LANDO NORRIS DNF ASWELL????!! ABSOLUTE CINEMA," they said.
Piastri, who was the beneficiary of the unfortunate malfunction for Norris, he said he was "sorry" for his team-mate after what had promised to be an epic battle in the second half of the race.
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A large plume of smoke erupted from Lando Norris' car
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"Nicely done everybody. Nicely done," PIastri said to his team.
"Good weekend in the end. Obviously sorry to Lando for what happened but, on our side, well done everybody."
And after the match, the Australian remained sympathetic towards his McLaren ally, saying it was "incredibly unfortunate."
“It feels good, obviously. I controlled the race when I needed to, and obviously it was incredibly unfortunate for Lando at the end," Piastri said after his victory.
“But I felt like I was in control of that one and just used the pace when I needed to. That was a bit of a different race to 12 months ago, so very happy with all the work we’ve done to try to improve around here, and very satisfied to come out on top.
Oscar Piastri was delighted after winning the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday | GETTY"The start of this weekend was looking like a difficult one and then I managed to get it together in qualifying, and then I was happy with the pace I had today.
“There were a couple of Safety Cars that spiced it up a little bit and we weathered it all, so I’m very proud of the whole team. It wasn’t just myself that improved to get here, it was the whole team around me and without them, none of this possible. It’s a big team effort."