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The British racing team along with Formula One could do with any conclusive outcome during this championship battle involving Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri being decided through on-track action rather than without reference to team orders as the championship finale begins at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath prompts internal strain

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was likely more than aware about the historical parallels of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel against Piastri, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for just going an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in F1,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in the cars colliding.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting an available gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” defence he provided to the racing knight following his collision with Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the championship.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

While the spirit is similar, the wording marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he never intended of letting Prost beat him at turn one whereas 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 as he went through. This incident was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; the implication being the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that in any cases between them, each would quickly ask the squad to step in in their favor.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Of most import to the title race, six races left, Piastri is ahead of 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 their friendly rapport between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach to a situation where minor points count,” commented Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I guess the elbows are going to come out further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will likely be appreciated in the form of an on-track confrontation rather than a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from all this is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Sporting integrity against squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will have roles, but better to let them just battle freely and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the team to determine if they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will increase and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Previously, after the team made for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

No one wants to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little room for error for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better to just close the books and step back from the fray.