The title fight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at McLaren has grabbed everyone’s attention this season. With just four races left, the pressure keeps building, and Former world champion Damon Hill knows what it’s like to be in this situation. Having experienced championship battles firsthand, Hill recently shared his thoughts on the mental challenge facing both McLaren drivers as they compete for the title.
F1 Veterans Give Their Verdict on Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s Championship Fight
In the latest segment of The Race’s “Stay on Track” podcast with Johnny Herbert, Hill said the mind plays a bigger role than most people realize in a title fight, something that could be a factor for Piastri.
“It’s fantastic. It’s exciting, but it gets to you, there’s no doubt about it. There’s the weight, and I wonder whether that’s the Oscar problem,” Hill said. He then brought up Nigel Mansell’s 1992 season as an example. Mansell had the best car and was winning easily, yet he seemed uncomfortable with the constant talk about his inevitable championship win.
Hill explained: “Do you remember Nigel Mansell? It was a foregone conclusion that he was going to become a world champion. It was way better than anyone else’s, and he was winning it by miles…He deferred it, he kicked it into the long grass every time he was asked the question.”
The key, according to Hill, was staying present. “It’s like in a race, it’s no good starting to think about the chequered flag when you’re 10 laps from the end. Because the moment you do that, you want it to be finished, but you’re not there yet.”
Piastri’s situation shows how quickly things can change when a driver shifts focus. Leading most of the season, he suddenly lost his advantage to Norris.
Hill felt Piastri’s mindset changed when the reality of possibly winning a championship hit him, “the realization that you could become world champion, you get that maybe a rush of blood to the head or that over excitement.”
Herbert, Hill’s podcast co-host and a three-time F1 race winner, saw something different in how Norris handles the pressure. “Lando has realized that he needs to completely use all the energies that he’s got and not waste those energies on that honesty that comes out,” Herbert explained.
MORE: F1 Veteran Exposes McLaren’s Balance Shift That’s Holding Back Oscar Piastri
Herbert pointed to Mexico, where Norris converted his Pole start to an impressive win, as proof. “It was noticeable saying, ‘I was so relaxed this weekend’. And there’s the proof in the pudding,” Herbert said.
Hill also acknowledged that Piastri has handled tough questions well: “He’s open, but also, he doesn’t say too much, and he doesn’t get riled by questions. With one point separating them, both McLaren drivers find themselves in an unusual spot, fighting each other for the title as the season comes down the wire.