McLaren comes into the Italian GP on the back of their first mechanical DNF of the season. Lando Norris was in second place and chasing down his teammate, Oscar Piastri, for the win in Zandvoort. However, on lap 65, Norris pulled over with a mechanical issue, first thought to be related to the engine.
McLaren has now revealed that the issue was chassis-related and that they have solved the problem. However, this leaves Norris 34 points adrift of Piastri in the championship battle. To even the playing field at Monza, McLaren will fit both cars with new engines free from a penalty.
McLaren to change both cars’ engines in Monza
F1 insider Lawrence Barretto has revealed that McLaren will change both Lando Norris’ and Oscar Piastri’s engines for the upcoming race in Italy. However, he claims that these changes were planned, not because of any reliability concerns. Barretto has also confirmed that neither driver will receive a penalty as the new engine is still within the allocation.
Before arriving in Italy, team principal Andrea Stella said the team would review the chassis before the weekend. The chassis issue caused an oil leak on Norris’ car, meaning he had to retire from the race, McLaren’s first mechanical retirement since the 2023 Bahrain GP.
Stella told the media, “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.”
Engine changes for both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri this weekend. These changes were part of the team’s plan, not a reaction to Norris’ retirement at Zandvoort. Neither driver will get penalties. The chassis issue that Norris suffered has also been rectified. #F1 #ItalianGP
— Lawrence Barretto (@lawrobarretto) September 4, 2025
The loss in points is bad news for Norris, but his championship fight isn’t over. There are still nine races and three sprint events to go. If he can win races, regardless of where Piastri finishes, the arrears will close. There are still many twists and turns in this season’s championship.
What can we expect from the McLaren drivers at the Italian GP?
Lando Norris needs to bounce back. After his DNF in Canada earlier this season, Norris hit form and won three of the next four races. He needs to replicate that form if he is to get his championship back on track.
The Brit told the media in Italy, “I can try and win the race and get some points. I can’t really turn it around, it’s not that simple.
“There’s still plenty more races to try to make up for the points I lost last weekend and I’ve got to look at it that way rather than any other way so that’s the way I’ll be doing it.”
Oscar Piastri has claimed his approach won’t change in Italy, despite the gap growing by 25 points after the Dutch GP. He said, “For me, the approach doesn’t change. I think the approach I’ve had this year has worked well and for me there’s no reason to change anything now.
“The gap is bigger now but it is still far from being comfortable and being able to change the way I go about things so stating the same way.”
We can expect that both drivers will on top form. Norris needs to claw back vital points on his teammate, while Piastri wants to leave Italy with a bigger gap. Last season, we saw a daring move from Piastri on his teammate into the second chicane. It was hard but fair racing. Both will need to do the same at a track which has many overtaking opportunities.
The pressure will be more on Norris in Monza as the chasing driver. He needs the points more than Piastri, much like last season in his fight with Max Verstappen. The good omen on Norris’ side is that he has excelled more in the European leg than his Australian teammate. He will need to dig deep and show a strong mentality to bounce back from the Zandvoort disappointment.
