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McLaren and Formula One would benefit from anything decisive during this title fight between Norris & Oscar Piastri being decided on the track and without reference to the pit wall as the championship finale begins this weekend at COTA on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath leads to team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. Norris was almost certainly more than aware about the historical parallels of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing Senna's iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting on the inside through an opening then you should not be in F1,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go an available gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” justification he gave to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion at Suzuka in 1990, securing him the championship.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended of letting Prost to defeat 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 McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; the implication being the two teammates clashing was verboten by team protocols for racing and Norris ought to be told to return the place he had made. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that in any cases between them, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race one another and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

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

Viewer desires and championship implications

For the audience, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as an on-track confrontation rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since in Formula One the other impression from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren is taking appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They clinched their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Racing purity against team management

However, with racers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Chance and fate will play their part, but better to let them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to ascertain whether intervention is needed and then cleared up later in private.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Previously, after the team made for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri responded that they did, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

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

Six races stay. The team has minimal room for error for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better to just close the books and withdraw from the conflict.