Piastri & Lando Norris Understand Winner Is The Driver Who Remains Composed
If it weren't already a sweltering sauna in the Marina Bay circuit, the increasing intensity of this year's Formula One world championship would be enough to make all but the most stoic driver struggle. Handling the stress may determine the deciding factor between McLaren's Norris and Piastri as the title battle intensifies with each grand prix.
This Championship Battle Remains Extremely Close
Starting with this weekend's meeting in Singapore, seven races are left and the title race is extremely tight. Piastri is ahead of his British rival by twenty-five points. Each are free to race each other and with Max Verstappen still a significant sixty-nine in arrears, it is a direct contest, with very little separating between them.
Drawing from Previous Champions
F1's most seasoned and successful competitors are familiar with this situation all too well. In 2007, when Hamilton narrowly missed winning the title in the last grand prix at Interlagos in his first year, it taught him the distinct pressure 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 understand today, I would have easily won that title, I think. I've realized to avoid adding stress that’s unneeded.”
Step Into the Pressure Cooker
Welcome then, Norris and Piastri, to the cauldron. The advantage thus far has swung between them. Norris has five wins to Oscar's seven wins and the duo have barely been off the podium in a McLaren car that has been the class of the field. Piastri has been steadier, with his British rival struggling to adapt to a lack of feel for grip from the front axle. Nonetheless, they have excelled, the difference separating them often just which could deliver perfectly, across Saturday sessions and the grand prix.
Costly Errors for Norris
In this aspect Norris has been lacking, small errors were costly in Shanghai, more so after a poor qualifying in Bahrain and worse still when losing the points advantage after crashing out in qualifying in Jeddah. Then, most critically, over-eager in Montreal he hit his partner and retired, an massive blow.
Piastri's Consistency and Minor Slip-ups
The young driver, notably in just his third year in F1, has been more comfortable. For a while sliding off at the first race in the rain in Melbourne was his sole error and one which was forgivable in the unexpected downpour. Later, the Australian was also overtaken and surpassed by an opportunistic Max at Emilia-Romagna, while his mistake and penalty for “unpredictable slowing” under the safety car at the British Grand Prix denied him a probable victory.
Latest Struggles in Baku
Yet, these were minor hiccups against a major incident at the previous race in Azerbaijan. In Baku, Piastri hit the wall in the qualifying session leaving him ninth on the grid, only to follow it with a jump start, the car going into anti-stall mode and dropping him to the rear of the pack.
Chasing places on the opening lap, he misjudged the grip and finished in the barriers, an uncharacteristic series of errors that he admitted he could cannot repeat in Singapore.
“Baku was a strong lesson of how quickly everything can turn around,” he said. “There are takeaways about how I can deal with that better and lessons on taking chances I suppose is the most accurate description to put it. No major changes that require to be altered or that I am going to change.”
Gaining from Past Examples
The pair are, for all their talent, still honing their abilities in Formula One, a path well trodden by some of their peers on the starting lineup. The opening years of Hamilton's career were exceptional, but he also made his share of mistakes. The McLaren driver could learn of Sakhir in 2008, the year the seven-time champion took his first title but which was marked by other mistakes as he was engaged in an close battle with his Ferrari rival.
On the grid in Manama he had failed to properly configure the launch control on his McLaren and it went into anti-stall, relegating him to the back. Shortly afterwards, trying to regain places, he touched the rear of Fernando Alonso's Renault and had to make a stop with a damaged front wing. He finished 13th after a race he described as “a disaster”.
Max's Early Career
In the same way the Dutch driver's early career were marked by errors as he gained experience. After a expensive incident in Monte Carlo in 2018 then boss the Red Bull chief publicly demanded his racer to demonstrate greater control.
Max, also, took it on board, the inconsistency all but gone when he began winning championships. “This was character-building,” he remarked at the moment. “In my career there have been times of personal growth and this was one more stage. Sometimes, it is unpleasant but sometimes you need it.”
Closing Thoughts
Norris and Piastri are not yet at the level of the multiple champions yet but they are facing the identical stress and absorbing the identical insights. As Niki Lauda observed, the first title is invariably the most difficult. Securing this one out is the biggest challenge of their careers and will likely fall to the driver who can best handle the heat.