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The British racing team along with F1 would benefit from anything decisive during this championship battle between Norris & Piastri being decided on the track rather than without reference to the pit wall with the championship finale begins at the Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs concluded, McLaren is aiming for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague at the last grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight against Piastri, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments was lost on no one but the incident that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature to those that defined Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you should not be in Formula One,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists then you cease to be a true racer” justification he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he never intended to allow Prost beat him at turn one while Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague as he went through. This incident was a result of him touching the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was verboten under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that in any cases of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to step in on his behalf.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race against each other and to try to maintain strict fairness. Aside from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now covers misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come to a situation where minor points count,” commented Mercedes team principal Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I guess aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For spectators, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and upright commander who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Sporting integrity against team management

Yet having drivers competing for the title looking to the pitwall to decide matters is unedifying. Their contest should be decided through racing. Luck and destiny will play their part, but better to let them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will increase with every occurrence it is in danger of potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, after the team made for position swaps at Monza because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

Nobody desires to see a title constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he said post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and withdraw from the fray.