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The British racing team along with Formula One could do with anything decisive during this title fight between Norris & Piastri being decided through on-track action rather than without reference to team orders as the championship finale kicks off at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts team tensions

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a reset. Norris was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries.

“If you fault me for just going an inside move of a big gap then you should not be in Formula One,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting an available gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty despite the minor contact he had with his team colleague as he went through. This incident was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was verboten by team protocols for racing and Norris should be instructed to return the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that in any cases between them, both will promptly appeal to the team to step in on his behalf.

Squad management and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race against each other and strive to maintain strict fairness. Aside from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Most crucially for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and when their opinion may diverge with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when their friendly rapport between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase a bit more. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For the audience, during this dual battle, increased excitement will probably be welcomed as a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since for F1 the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests 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 in Andrea Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Sporting integrity versus squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight appealing to the team to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will play their part, 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 squad to determine if they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will intensify and each time it happens it risks possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern of favouritism also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

Nobody desires to see a title endlessly debated over perceived that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several challenging moments and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he stated post-race. “But ultimately it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal room for error to do their cramming, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and withdraw from the fray.