Piastri and Norris Know Winner Will Be The Driver Who Stays Composed
If it weren't already an intense heatwave in Singapore, the increasing intensity of this year's F1 world championship would be enough to make all but the most stoic driver wilt. Withstanding the stress may prove the deciding factor between the team's Norris and Oscar Piastri as the title battle ratchets up with each grand prix.
This Championship Battle Remains Extremely Close
Including this weekend's meeting in Marina Bay, seven grands prix are left and the title race is finely poised. Piastri is ahead of his British rival by 25 points. Each are allowed to compete each other and with the Red Bull driver still a significant sixty-nine in arrears, it is a head-to-head contest, with very little separating the two McLaren drivers.
Learning from Previous Winners
F1's most seasoned and successful drivers know this situation all too well. In 2007, when Hamilton narrowly missed securing the championship in the final race at Interlagos in his first year, it taught him the unique challenge of a championship fight.
“I recall the buildup to those races at the conclusion and the stress was there,” he said. “That was not needed. Had I known then what I know now, I would have easily won that championship, I think. I have learned not to add stress that’s unnecessary.”
Welcome the Pressure Cooker
Welcome then, the McLaren duo, to the intense environment. The advantage so far has shifted from one to the other. Lando has five victories to Piastri's seven wins and the duo have barely been off the podium in a McLaren that has been the class of the field. Piastri has been steadier, with his teammate struggling to adjust to a reduced sensation for traction from the front axle. Nonetheless, they have excelled, the gap separating them often just which could deliver perfectly, across Saturday sessions and the race.
Costly Mistakes for Lando
In this aspect Norris has been lacking, small errors were damaging in Shanghai, especially after a disappointing Saturday in Bahrain and worse still when losing the championship lead after hitting the barriers in the qualifying session in Jeddah. Then, worst of all, over-eager in Canada he collided with his teammate and went out, an enormous blow.
Piastri's Consistency and Small Slip-ups
Piastri, notably in just his third year in Formula One, has been more comfortable. For some time spinning out at the first race in the rain in Melbourne was his sole error and one which was forgivable in the sudden rain. Later, the Australian was also overtaken and surpassed by an opportunistic Max at Emilia-Romagna, while his misjudgment and sanction for “unpredictable slowing” under the safety car at the British Grand Prix denied him a likely win.
Recent Difficulties in Azerbaijan
However, these were small issues against a major incident at the last round in Baku. In Azerbaijan, the McLaren driver hit the wall in qualifying putting him in ninth position, only to compound it with a false start, the car going into anti-stall and dropping him to the back of the field.
Chasing positions on the first lap, he misread the grip and finished in the barriers, an unusual sequence of errors that he admitted he could cannot repeat in Singapore.
“Azerbaijan was a strong lesson of how quickly everything can change,” he said. “There's some lessons about how I can deal with that better and lessons on risk I suppose is the most accurate description to describe it. There's nothing revolutionary that needs to be altered or that I am going to change.”
Gaining from History
The pair are, for all their ability, still honing their skills in Formula One, a path often traveled by some of their peers on the grid. The opening years of Hamilton's career were exceptional, but he also committed his fair share of mistakes. Piastri could take note of Sakhir in 2008, the year the multiple title winner took his maiden championship but which was characterized by other mistakes as he was engaged in an intense fight with his Ferrari rival.
On the grid in Manama he had not managed to correctly set the start procedure on his car and it entered anti-stall, dropping him to the back. Shortly afterwards, chasing positions, he touched the rear of Fernando Alonso's car and had to make a stop with a damaged front wing. He came 13th after a race he described as “a catastrophe”.
Max's Initial Development
In the same way Verstappen's early career were defined by errors as he learned his craft. After a expensive incident in Monte Carlo in 2018 then boss Christian Horner openly called for his racer to demonstrate greater control.
Max, too, accepted the advice, the waywardness all but gone when he started claiming championships. “This was a learning experience,” he remarked at the time. “In my career there have been periods of personal growth and this was one more stage. Occasionally, it is unpleasant but sometimes you need it.”
Final Observations
The McLaren teammates are not yet at the level of the multiple champions so far but they are under the identical stress and learning the same lessons. As Niki Lauda observed, the first title is invariably the hardest. Closing this championship out is the biggest challenge of their professional lives and will likely be decided by the one who can most effectively manage the pressure.