If it weren't already a sweltering sauna in Singapore, the increasing intensity of this season's Formula One world championship would be enough to make all but the most stoic driver wilt. Withstanding the pressure may prove the difference between the team's Lando Norris and Piastri as the championship contest intensifies with each grand prix.
The Championship Battle Remains Extremely Close
Starting with this weekend's race in Marina Bay, seven grands prix are left and the championship is extremely tight. Piastri leads his teammate by twenty-five points. Both are allowed to compete each other and with the Red Bull driver still a significant 69 points behind, it is a direct battle, with very little separating between them.
Learning from Previous Winners
F1's most seasoned and successful competitors are familiar with this situation all too well. In 2007, when Hamilton just failed to win securing the title in the final race at Brazil in his first year, it taught him the distinct pressure of a title tilt.
“I recall the buildup to those races at the conclusion and the pressure was present,” he said. “That was unnecessary. If I knew then what I understand today, I would have comfortably secured that championship, I think. I have learned not to add pressure that’s unnecessary.”
Step Into the Cauldron
Step forward, the McLaren duo, to the intense environment. The upper hand thus far has swung from one to the other. Norris has five victories to Piastri's seven and the pair have scarcely missed the top three in a McLaren car that has been the best on the grid. Piastri has been more consistent, with his teammate finding it hard to adjust to a lack of feel for traction from the front axle. Even so, they have dominated, the difference separating them often just who could perform flawlessly, across qualifying and the grand prix.
Costly Errors for Norris
In this aspect the British driver has been found wanting, minor mistakes were costly in Shanghai, especially after a poor qualifying 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 hit his teammate and went out, an massive setback.
Oscar's Steadiness and Small Errors
Piastri, notably in only his third season in Formula One, has been more at ease. For some time sliding off at the season opener in the rain in Melbourne was his only fault and one which was excusable in the sudden rain. Later, the Australian was also overtaken and passed by an alert Verstappen at Emilia-Romagna, while his misjudgment and sanction for “unpredictable slowing” under the safety car at Silverstone cost him a likely win.
Latest Struggles in Baku
However, these were minor hiccups against something of a debacle at the last round in Azerbaijan. In Baku, Piastri hit the wall in qualifying leaving him in ninth position, only to follow it with a jump start, the car entering anti-stall and dropping him to the rear of the pack.
Chasing places on the first lap, he misjudged the traction and ended in the wall, an uncharacteristic series of errors that he acknowledged he could cannot repeat in this weekend's race.
“Azerbaijan was quite a good reminder of how quickly things can change,” he commented. “There's some lessons about how I can handle that better and lessons on risk I guess is the most accurate description to describe it. There's nothing revolutionary that needs to change or that I am going to change.”
Learning from Past Examples
The pair are, for all their talent, still refining their skills in Formula One, a journey often traveled by other drivers on the grid. The opening years of Lewis's career were outstanding, but he also committed his fair share of errors. The McLaren driver could take note of Bahrain in 2008, the year the seven-time champion won his first title but which was characterized by additional errors as he found himself in an intense fight with Felipe Massa.
On the starting grid in Manama he had not managed to properly configure the launch control on his car and it went into anti-stall, relegating him down the grid. Soon after, chasing positions, he clipped the rear of the Renault driver's car and had to pit with a broken nose. He finished thirteenth after a race he described as “a catastrophe”.
Verstappen's Initial Career
Similarly the Dutch driver's early career were defined by misjudgments as he gained experience. After one costly crash in Monte Carlo in 2018 then boss Christian Horner publicly demanded his racer to show greater control.
Max, too, took it on board, the waywardness almost entirely eliminated when he started claiming titles. “This was character-building,” he said at the time. “In my career there have been periods of personal growth and this was another step. Occasionally, it is not enjoyable but at times you require it.”
Final Observations
Norris and Piastri are not yet at the level of the multiple champions so far but they are under the same pressure and absorbing the identical insights. As the legendary driver observed, the first title is invariably the most difficult. Securing this championship out is the biggest challenge of their careers and will probably be decided by the one who can best handle the heat.
