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The British racing team and F1 would benefit from anything decisive during this championship battle involving Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved on the track and without resorting to the pit wall with the title run-in kicks off this weekend at COTA on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix fallout prompts team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs dealt with, McLaren is aiming for a reset. The British driver was likely fully conscious of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined Senna's iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going an inside move through an opening then you don't belong in F1,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move 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 racing driver” justification he provided to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

Although the attitude is similar, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague as he went through. That itself was a result of him touching the Red Bull of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, instantly stated that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to give back the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that during disputes of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to step in in their favor.

Squad management 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 creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules about what defines fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception.

Of most import for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists as fair and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when the amicable relationship among them may – finally – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

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

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, during this dual battle, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since for F1 the other impression from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren is taking appropriate choices for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight appealing to the team to decide matters appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Luck and destiny will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that each contentious incident will be pored over by the squad to ascertain whether they need to intervene and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will increase with every occurrence it risks potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places 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 spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed because it may be considered that fairness attempts were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several difficult situations and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he said after Singapore. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left to do their cramming, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the fray.