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McLaren and Formula One would benefit from any conclusive outcome in the title fight involving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri getting resolved on the track rather than without resorting to the pit wall with the title run-in begins at the Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a reset. Norris was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix 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 was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“If you fault me for just going an inside move through an opening then you don't belong in F1,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake that led to their vehicles making contact.

The remark appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go for a gap that exists you are no longer a racing driver” defence he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

Although the attitude remains comparable, the wording is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he never intended to allow Prost to defeat him at turn one while Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague as he went through. That itself stemmed from him touching the Red Bull driven by Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to return the position he gained. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that in any cases between them, each would quickly ask to the team to step in in their favor.

Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules about what defines just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. 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 a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss 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 starts to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will likely be appreciated as an on-track confrontation instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from all this is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success 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 do the right thing.

Sporting integrity versus team management

However, with racers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided through racing. Chance and fate will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that each contentious incident will be pored over by the team to ascertain whether intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Already, after the team made their drivers swap places in Italy due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

No one wants to witness a championship constantly disputed because it may be considered that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he believed the squad had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he stated after Singapore. “But ultimately it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and withdraw from the conflict.