Helmut Marko makes bold prediction on F1 title race

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes the F1 title fight is a “done deal” for Oscar Piastri following Lando Norris' setback at the Dutch Grand Prix. Piastri looked on course to extend his title lead to 16 points in Zandvoort last weekend as he headed a McLaren 1-2 in the final laps. However, a sudden engine issue for Norris saw the Briton suffer his second DNF of the campaign. His non-score allowed Piastri to bridge a bigger lead over Norris, with the gap now sitting at 34 points with nine race weekends remaining. Marko suggested it will be extremely difficult for Norris to recover the deficit going forward. "This off-ball really hit him at the wrong time," Marko told ORF .  “It happened at a very decisive stage of the championship, so it's going to be very tricky now.” The battle between Piastri and Norris has ebbed and flowed all season, with little to separate the duo at the head of the field. However, even if Norris has no more mechanical issues this year, Marko is unconvinced the Briton has what it takes to best Piastri's pace. “In the case of Piastri, we saw that every time Norris attacked Piastri managed to counter those attacks,” he said. “It is my opinion that Oscar managed to control the race very sovereignly and so I fear that it is a done deal in Piastri's favour.”