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If it weren't already an intense heatwave in Singapore, the growing pressure of this year's F1 world championship would be enough to make even the toughest driver wilt. Handling the pressure may prove the deciding factor between the team's Lando Norris and Piastri as the championship contest ratchets up with every race.

The Championship Battle Remains Finely Poised

Starting with this weekend's meeting in Marina Bay, seven grands prix are left and the championship is extremely tight. The Australian leads his teammate by twenty-five points. Both are free to race against one another and with the Red Bull driver still a significant sixty-nine points behind, it is a head-to-head battle, with little to choose the two McLaren drivers.

Learning from Past Champions

F1's most seasoned and accomplished competitors are familiar with this scenario all too well. In 2007, when Hamilton just failed to win winning the championship in the last grand prix at Brazil in his first year, it taught him the unique challenge of a title tilt.

“I recall the lead-up to those events at the conclusion and the pressure was present,” he said. “That was unnecessary. Had I known then what I know now, I would have easily won that title, I think. I've realized to avoid adding pressure that’s unnecessary.”

Welcome the Cauldron

Step forward, the McLaren duo, to the intense environment. The advantage so far has shifted between them. Norris has five victories to Oscar's seven and the pair have barely been off the top three in a McLaren that has been the best on the grid. Piastri has been more consistent, with his teammate struggling to adapt to a lack of feel for traction from the front axle. Nonetheless, they have dominated, the gap between them often just who could perform perfectly, across qualifying and the race.

Costly Errors for Lando

In this aspect the British driver 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 Saudi Arabia. Then, most critically, over-eager in Montreal he hit his teammate and retired, an massive blow.

Piastri's Steadiness and Minor Slip-ups

Piastri, especially in only his third season in F1, has been more at ease. For some time sliding off at the first race in the wet in Albert Park was his sole error and one which was forgivable in the unexpected downpour. Subsequently, the Melbourne native was also overtaken and passed by an opportunistic Max at Emilia-Romagna, while his mistake and penalty for “erratic braking” under the safety car at Silverstone denied him a probable victory.

Latest Difficulties in Baku

Yet, these were minor hiccups against something of a debacle at the last round in Baku. In Azerbaijan, Piastri hit the wall in qualifying putting him in ninth position, only to follow it with a jump start, the car going into anti-stall and dropping him to the back of the field.

Trying to gain places on the first lap, he misjudged the grip and finished in the wall, an uncharacteristic sequence of errors that he admitted he could ill afford in this weekend's race.

“Azerbaijan was quite a good reminder of how quickly things can change,” he said. “There are takeaways about how I can handle 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 adjust.”

Learning from Past Examples

The pair are, for all their ability, still honing their abilities in F1, a path often traveled by some of their peers on the grid. The opening years of Hamilton's time in F1 were outstanding, but he also made his share of errors. Piastri could take note of Bahrain in 2008, the year the seven-time champion won his maiden championship but which was marked by additional errors as he was engaged in an intense fight with his Ferrari rival.

On the starting grid in Manama he had not managed to correctly set the start procedure on his car and it went into anti-stall, dropping him down the grid. Soon after, chasing positions, he touched the back of Fernando Alonso's car and had to pit with a damaged nose. He finished thirteenth after a grand prix he described as “a catastrophe”.

Max's Early Career

Similarly Verstappen's first years were marked by misjudgments as he gained experience. After a expensive incident in Monte Carlo in 2018 then boss Christian Horner openly called for his racer to demonstrate more discipline.

Max, too, accepted the advice, the inconsistency all but gone when he began winning championships. “This was character-building,” he remarked at the time. “Throughout my life there have been times of character-building and this was another step. Sometimes, it is unpleasant but sometimes you need it.”

Closing Observations

Norris and Piastri are not up with the multiple champions yet but they are facing the same pressure and absorbing the same lessons. As the legendary driver noted, the initial championship is invariably the hardest. Closing this championship out is the biggest challenge of their professional lives and will likely fall to the driver who can best handle the pressure.