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McLaren and F1 could do with any conclusive outcome during this title fight between Lando Norris and Piastri getting resolved on the track and without reference to team orders with the championship finale begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix fallout leads to internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren is aiming for a reset. Norris was likely more than aware of the historical context of his riposte toward his upset colleague at the last grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight against Piastri, that Norris invoked a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting on the inside of a big gap then you don't belong in F1,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to pass 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 then you cease to be a true racer” justification he provided to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion in Japan back in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

Although the attitude is similar, the wording marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he never intended of letting Prost beat him at turn one whereas Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty despite the minor contact he had with his McLaren teammate as he went through. That itself was a result of him touching the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; the implication being the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris should be instructed to give back the position he gained. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that in any cases between them, both will promptly appeal the squad to intervene in their favor.

Squad management and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete against each other and strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue of perception.

Most crucially to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and at what point their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It will reach to a situation where minor points count,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I guess aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will likely be appreciated 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.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for themselves and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Racing purity versus squad control

However, with racers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will have roles, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the squad to determine if intervention is needed and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also looms.

Team perspective and future challenges

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“We've had several challenging moments and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “But ultimately it's educational with the whole team.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal room for error for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better to just stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.