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The British racing team along with F1 could do with anything decisive in the championship battle involving Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without reference to the pit wall with the title run-in kicks off at the COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious about the historical parallels of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. During an intense championship duel with the Australian, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments was lost on no one yet the occurrence which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for simply attempting an inside move through an opening then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” defence he provided to the racing knight following his collision with Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

Although the attitude is similar, the wording is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent to allow Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague as he went through. That itself was a result of him clipping the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; the implication being the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris ought to be told to return the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask the squad to step in in their favor.

Squad management and fairness being examined

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules over what constitutes just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now covers bad luck, strategy and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Of most import to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport among them may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I guess the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Not least because for F1 the other impression from these events isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Racing purity versus squad control

However, with racers in a championship fight appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the squad to determine if intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Already, after the team made for position swaps in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also emerges.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that fairness attempts were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several difficult situations and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he stated after Singapore. “But ultimately it's educational with the whole team.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal room for error for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser now to simply close the books and withdraw from the conflict.