Hill on the strengths and weaknesses of McLaren's drivers

      1996 world champion Damon Hill, in an interview with BBC Sport, reflected on the strengths and weaknesses of McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris…

      Damon Hill: "There is immense psychological pressure in a title fight. You want an answer as soon as possible, to decide everything here and now, but you need to stay focused and concentrate on the next race. Thinking about the end result is dangerous — it distracts you and leads to mistakes.

      In the battle between Lando and Oscar it all comes down to a few hundredths of a second per lap. When the McLaren had a significant advantage, that difference hardly mattered, but when Red Bull closed the gap and Max Verstappen joined the fight, at first that made things harder for Lando because he didn't always manage to qualify well. But then Norris stepped up, Oscar had to respond — and a couple of times he simply overdid it.

      At the start of the season Oscar was very consistent, while Lando was losing points and soon faded into the background. Piastri acted decisively and, when necessary, took bold steps. Norris tried not to take unnecessary risks, sometimes showing excessive caution, but the turning point came in Baku.

      In recent races Piastri's main problem has been excessive nervousness, and Lando now has the advantage at the start and in the opening stint of races, although earlier in the season it was the other way around.

      This year I've seen several fairly bold and well-calculated moves from Oscar, while Lando is not yet ready to risk in that way. Oscar still looks more confident in close fighting. Yes, in Brazil he was penalised for a collision with Antonelli, but at least he tried.

      At the same time Lando works better with the tyres. He can wait patiently when necessary, preserving tyre life. In Mexico, when the car was sliding around the track, Norris felt much more confident. I think Oscar will find it hard to master that technique. I don't know if you can learn it — it's an innate skill that Lando has, and he can develop it.

      Speaking of psychological resilience, at the start of the year Lando was weaker and Oscar stronger. Now it's the opposite. Lando lost the lead straight away and he had time to recover. Oscar only very recently lost the lead; in his case recovery requires serious psychological work — he needs to understand what's happening and get back to his previous form as soon as possible. That hasn't happened yet, although we saw the first signs in Brazil. Oscar is younger and less experienced, and it seems he's having a harder time right now.

      Both of them are facing a difficult period. When the climax of the title fight approaches, the psychological side is always very challenging."