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McLaren and F1 would benefit from any conclusive outcome during this championship battle involving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri being decided on the track and without reference to the pit wall as the title run-in kicks off this weekend at COTA starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs dealt with, McLaren is aiming for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense championship duel with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“If you fault me for just going on the inside of a big gap then you should not be in F1,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment seemed to echo Senna’s “If you no longer go for a gap that exists then you cease to be a racing driver” defence he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with the French champion at Suzuka in 1990, securing him the championship.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost to defeat him through the first corner while Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague during the pass. This incident stemmed from him touching the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, instantly stated that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden by team protocols for racing and Norris should be instructed to give back the place he had made. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to step in in their favor.

Squad management and impartiality being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there remains the issue of perception.

Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists as fair and at what point their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship between the two could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where minor points count,” commented Mercedes team principal Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I suppose the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel instead of a data-driven decision of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed 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 do the right thing.

Sporting integrity versus team management

However, with racers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their competition should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will have roles, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the squad to determine if intervention is needed and subsequently resolved later in private.

The examination will intensify with every occurrence it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, following the team's decision their drivers swap places in Italy because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also looms.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri said that they did, but noted it's a developing process.

“We've had several challenging moments and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little room for error to do their cramming, so it may be better to just stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.