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The British racing team along with Formula One could do with any conclusive outcome in the championship battle involving Norris & Piastri being decided on the track rather than without reference to the pit wall as the championship finale begins at the COTA starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to internal strain

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight against Piastri, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move through an opening then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

The remark appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap which is there then you cease to be a true racer” justification he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

Although the attitude remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he made against his McLaren teammate as he went through. That itself stemmed from him clipping the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was verboten under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris ought to be told to return the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal the squad to step in on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete one another and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now includes misfortune, strategy and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their opinion may diverge with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when their friendly rapport among them could eventually – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase a bit more. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation instead of a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because for F1 the other impression from all this isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Racing purity against team management

Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition should be decided on track. Chance and fate will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be pored over by the squad to determine if they need to intervene and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will increase with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Already, after the team made their drivers swap places in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

No one wants to see a title constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.