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McLaren along with F1 could do with anything decisive in the championship battle involving Lando Norris and Piastri getting resolved on the track and without resorting to the pit wall with the championship finale begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs concluded, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware about the historical parallels regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, that Norris invoked a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“If you fault me for just going on the inside through an opening then you should not be in F1,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake that led to their vehicles making contact.

His comment appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go for a gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” justification he gave to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

Although the attitude is similar, the wording marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he had no intent to allow Prost beat him at turn one whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he had with his McLaren teammate during the pass. This incident stemmed from him touching the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; the implication being their collision was forbidden by team protocols for racing and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene on his behalf.

Squad management and fairness being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Aside from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules about what defines fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, strategy and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue 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 perspectives might split from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

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

Audience expectations and championship implications

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will likely be appreciated in the form of a track duel instead of a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and principled leader who truly aims to do the right thing.

Racing purity versus team management

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team to decide matters appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined through racing. Luck and destiny will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, than the impression that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the team to ascertain whether they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Already, following the team's decision for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern of favouritism also looms.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. Questioned whether he felt the team had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several challenging moments and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “But ultimately it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal room for error for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and withdraw from the fray.