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If it weren't already an intense heatwave in Singapore, the growing pressure of this season's Formula One world championship would be enough to make even the toughest competitor wilt. Handling the stress may prove the deciding factor between McLaren's Lando Norris and Piastri as the championship contest ratchets up with each grand prix.

The Title Fight Remains Finely Poised

Including this weekend's meeting in Singapore, seven races are left and the championship is finely poised. The Australian leads his British rival by 25 points. Both are allowed to compete each other and with Max Verstappen still a significant sixty-nine in arrears, it is a direct battle, with little to choose between them.

Learning from Past Winners

F1's most seasoned and accomplished competitors know this scenario very clearly. In 2007, when Hamilton just failed to win winning the championship in the final race at Brazil in his debut season, it taught him the unique challenge of a title tilt.

“I recall the lead-up to those races at the end and the pressure was present,” he said. “That was unnecessary. If I knew then what I understand today, I would have comfortably secured that title, I think. I've realized not to add stress that’s unnecessary.”

Welcome the Pressure Cooker

Step forward, the McLaren duo, to the intense environment. The advantage thus far has swung between them. Norris has five victories to Piastri's seven wins and the pair have scarcely missed the podium in a McLaren that has been the best on the grid. Piastri has been more consistent, with his teammate struggling to adjust to a lack of feel for traction from the front tires. Nonetheless, they have excelled, the gap separating them often just who could perform flawlessly, across qualifying and the grand prix.

Expensive Errors for Norris

In this regard the British driver has been found wanting, minor mistakes were damaging in China, especially after a poor qualifying in Sakhir and even more troubling when surrendering the championship lead after crashing out in qualifying in Jeddah. Then, most critically, too aggressive in Canada he collided with his teammate and went out, an enormous blow.

Piastri's Steadiness and Small Errors

Piastri, notably in only his third season in Formula One, has been more at ease. For a while sliding off at the season opener in the wet in Albert Park was his only fault and one which was forgivable in the sudden rain. Later, the Melbourne native was also caught out and surpassed by an opportunistic Max at Imola, while his mistake and sanction for “erratic braking” under the yellow flag at the British Grand Prix denied him a likely win.

Latest Difficulties in Baku

Yet, these were minor hiccups against a major incident at the last round in Baku. In Baku, the McLaren driver crashed out in the qualifying session putting him in ninth position, only to compound it with a false start, the car entering anti-stall mode and dropping him to the back of the field.

Chasing positions on the opening lap, he misjudged the grip and ended in the barriers, an unusual series of mistakes that he admitted he could cannot repeat in this weekend's race.

“Azerbaijan was a strong lesson of how rapidly everything can change,” he said. “There's some lessons about how I can handle that better and insights on risk I guess is the most accurate description to describe it. No major changes that needs to change or that I am going to adjust.”

Gaining from Past Examples

The pair are, for all their talent, still refining their skills in Formula One, a journey often traveled by some of their peers on the starting lineup. The opening years of Hamilton's career were outstanding, but he also committed his fair share of mistakes. Piastri could learn of Bahrain in 2008, the year the seven-time champion took his maiden championship but which was characterized by additional errors as he found himself in an close battle with Felipe Massa.

On the starting grid in Bahrain 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, trying to regain positions, he clipped the back of the Renault driver's Renault and had to make a stop with a damaged nose. He came 13th after a grand prix he described as “a catastrophe”.

Verstappen's Early Development

In the same way Verstappen's early career were marked by misjudgments as he learned his craft. After one costly crash in Monaco in 2018 then boss Christian Horner openly called for his racer to show more discipline.

Verstappen, too, accepted the advice, the inconsistency almost entirely eliminated when he began winning championships. “This was character-building,” he said at the time. “In my career there have been times of personal growth and this was one more stage. Occasionally, it is unpleasant but at times you need it.”

Final Observations

The McLaren teammates are not up with Hamilton and Verstappen so far but they are under the identical stress and absorbing the same lessons. As Niki Lauda noted, the initial championship is always the hardest. Securing this one out is the biggest challenge of their professional lives and will probably be decided by the driver who can best handle the heat.