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McLaren along with Formula One could do with any conclusive outcome during this title fight between Lando Norris & Piastri being decided on the track rather than without reference to team orders with the championship finale begins this weekend at COTA on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath leads to team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and tense post-race analyses dealt with, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a reset. Norris was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort toward his upset colleague during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel against Piastri, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one yet the occurrence which triggered his statement differed completely from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries.

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

His comment appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go an available gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” justification he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into Alain Prost in Japan in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

Although the attitude remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost to defeat him at turn one whereas Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he had with his team colleague as he went through. This incident was a result of him touching the Red Bull driven by Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was forbidden under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene in their favor.

Squad management and fairness being examined

This is part and parcel 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 in setting precedents over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now includes misfortune, strategy and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there is the question 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 with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when the amicable relationship between the two could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where minor points count,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase further. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will probably be welcomed as a track duel rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Not least because for F1 the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they have an ethical and upright commander who truly aims to do the right thing.

Racing purity against team management

However, with racers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, than the impression that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the team to ascertain whether they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of potentially making a difference that could be critical. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it's educational with the whole team.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal room for error to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser now to simply close the books and withdraw from the fray.