The Formula 1 championship battle is alive and well and looks likely to be played out between the two McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Given they're teammates, it's created a fascinating situation, highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses in equal machinery. There's not a whole lot between the pair on track, but off it, they are very, very different personalities.

Oscar is cool, calm and collected. He's reserved, quiet, an Alain Prost-like figure in that he'll take risks, but they are carefully calculated. He understands the bigger picture and how each scenario seemingly fits into place, and will lose a battle to win a war. That can come across as somewhat sterile, even boring, but I can wholeheartedly assure you he is far from either of those; he has an incredibly dry and ironic sense of humour, but he keeps it under wraps because he understands that McLaren pays him (extremely well) to do a job. He can crack jokes (and he does) on his own time. Oscar is an absolute pro.

Lando is brutally honest, with himself and the media. Ask a careful, considered question and you will get a thoughtful response. He doesn't trivialise issues and publicly accepts his failings. He takes responsibility, often when it is not his to own, but in doing so creates a positive culture around himself. He has a more open personality that creates a perception of vulnerability and weakness; Alan Jones certainly thinks so.

AJ has a reputation for being as hard as old nails, not to mention a bit of a vested interest given he's Australia's most recent world champion – a title he claimed 45 years ago. But is Norris being open and honest, and showing emotion, a negative trait as Jones (and others) suggest?

There is absolutely zero doubt that Norris is one of the fastest drivers on the grid. In a straight fight, I'd say he's currently got the edge on Piastri, though it's close. It's also fair to say Lando is more error-prone, and that leads to disappointment and post-session exchanges with the media where his heart-on-sleeve nature paints him as a whinger.

That is interpreted as a weakness, but it's a trait that in some respects reminds me of Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian was often philosophical or punchy in interviews and was far more open than his contemporaries – Prost is a perfect example in this scenario, and Nelson Piquet another. Of course, there are some acute differences in the personalities; Senna's win-at-all-costs lives on through Max Verstappen rather than Norris in many respects, but the Brazilian allowed himself to be vulnerable. He then performed on track, quashing the notion that he was somehow weak.

Norris doesn't have the same record as Senna, but like Senna, he is being honest to himself, and in doing so, with us. Indeed, I counter those who suggest it's a sign of weakness by suggesting it's actually an extreme show of confidence and strength. Here is a driver who is so comfortable and confident in themselves that they don't care how they're perceived.

The notion that showing emotion is a sign of weakness is, to mine, an out-dated view of the world. Asking for help is not a sign of inferiority, it shows a deep understanding of self. To us, that might come across as whinging or complaining, but before you jump to a conclusion, pause and think about what Lando is saying - that may be very different to the words that come out of his mouth.

Who will win out in a head-to-head between Norris and Piastri? It's a tough one to call, but my gut suggests Oscar. That calm personality will serve him well and do much to unsettle and antagonise anyone he is up against. Imagine being in the garage after the race, having clashed on track, and your main rival is nonchalant while you're seething. It'd be infuriating.

I don't believe, right now, that Piastri is any faster than Norris or mentally better equipped to deal with the pressure of the media and everything else that comes with racing in F1. But that cool underlying personality, his apparent imperviousness to pressure and external influence, makes him a terrifying rival. If Norris loses to Piastri, that will be the difference to my mind, not the Brit admitting to the press that he dwells on the negatives a bit longer than he should.