Piastri & Norris Know Champion Is The Driver Who Remains Composed

If it weren't already a sweltering sauna in the Marina Bay circuit, the growing pressure of this year's F1 world championship would be sufficient to make even the toughest competitor wilt. Withstanding the pressure may prove the difference between the team's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as the title battle ratchets up with every race.

This Championship Battle Is Finely Poised

Including this weekend's meeting in Marina Bay, seven grands prix remain and the championship is finely poised. Piastri is ahead of his teammate by twenty-five points. Each are free to race against one another and with the Red Bull driver still a significant sixty-nine in arrears, it is a direct battle, with very little separating between them.

Drawing from Past Winners

Formula One's most experienced and accomplished competitors know this situation all too well. In 2007, when Hamilton just failed to win securing the championship in the last grand prix at Brazil in his first year, it showed him the unique challenge of a title tilt.

“I recall the buildup to those events at the conclusion and the pressure was there,” he said. “That was unnecessary. If I knew then what I know now, I would have comfortably secured that title, I think. I've realized not to add stress that’s unnecessary.”

Welcome the Pressure Cooker

Welcome then, the McLaren duo, to the intense environment. The advantage thus far has shifted from one to the other. Lando has five wins to Piastri's seven wins and the pair have scarcely missed the top three in a McLaren car that has been the best on the grid. The Australian has been more consistent, with his teammate struggling to adapt to a reduced sensation for traction from the front axle. Nonetheless, they have excelled, the gap between them often just which could deliver perfectly, across Saturday sessions and the race.

Expensive Errors for Norris

In this regard the British driver has been found wanting, minor mistakes were costly in Shanghai, especially after a poor qualifying in Bahrain and even more troubling when losing the points advantage after crashing out in qualifying in Saudi Arabia. Then, worst of all, over-eager in Canada he collided with his teammate and retired, an massive setback.

Piastri's Steadiness and Small Errors

Piastri, notably in just his third year in F1, has been more comfortable. For some time spinning out at the season opener in the rain in Albert Park was his sole error and one which was excusable in the unexpected downpour. Subsequently, the Australian was also overtaken and surpassed by an alert Max at Emilia-Romagna, while his misjudgment and penalty for “erratic braking” under the safety car at the British Grand Prix cost him a probable victory.

Recent Struggles in Baku

However, these were minor hiccups against something of a debacle at the last round in Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijan, Piastri hit the wall in qualifying putting him ninth on the grid, only to follow it with a false start, the car entering anti-stall and sending him to the rear of the pack.

Chasing places on the opening lap, he misjudged the traction and ended in the barriers, an unusual series of mistakes that he admitted he could ill afford in Singapore.

“Azerbaijan was a strong lesson of how rapidly things can change,” he commented. “There's some lessons about how I can handle that more effectively and insights on risk I suppose is the most accurate description to put it. There's nothing revolutionary that needs to change or that I am going to adjust.”

Learning from Past Examples

Both drivers are, for all their ability, still honing their skills in F1, a journey well trodden by some of their peers on the grid. The opening years of Lewis's career were outstanding, but he also committed his share of mistakes. Piastri could take note of Bahrain in 2008, the year the seven-time champion took his first title but which was characterized by additional errors as he found himself in an intense fight with his Ferrari rival.

On the grid in Manama he had not managed to correctly set the launch control on his McLaren and it entered anti-stall, dropping him down the grid. Soon after, chasing places, he touched the back of Fernando Alonso's Renault and had to make a stop with a broken nose. He came thirteenth after a grand prix he described as “a catastrophe”.

Max's Early Career

Similarly Verstappen's early career were defined by errors as he gained experience. After one costly crash in Monaco in 2018 then boss Christian Horner publicly demanded his racer to demonstrate more discipline.

Max, also, accepted the advice, the inconsistency all but gone when he began winning titles. “This was character-building,” he remarked at the moment. “In my career there have been periods of character-building and this was one more stage. Occasionally, it is not enjoyable but sometimes you need it.”

Closing Observations

The McLaren teammates are not up with the multiple champions so far but they are facing the identical stress and learning the identical insights. As Niki Lauda noted, the initial championship is always the most difficult. Securing this championship out is the biggest challenge of their careers and will likely be decided by the driver who can best handle the pressure.