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McLaren along with F1 could do with anything decisive during this championship battle between Norris & Piastri being decided on the track rather than without reference to team orders with the championship finale begins this weekend at COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to internal strain

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and tense debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a reset. The British driver was likely more than aware of the historical context of his riposte toward his upset colleague at the last race weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight against Piastri, that Norris invoked a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely 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 should not be in F1,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to pass which resulted in the cars colliding.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go for a gap that exists then you cease to be a racing driver” defence he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with the French champion in Japan in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he had with his McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; the implication being the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the place he had made. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene in their favor.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules over what constitutes just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes bad luck, tactical calls and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and at what point their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship among them could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It will reach to a situation where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For spectators, during this dual battle, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. 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 have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Sporting integrity versus team management

However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Chance and fate will play their part, but better to let them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the team to ascertain whether they need to intervene and subsequently resolved later in private.

The examination 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 slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern about bias also looms.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

No one wants to see a title constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he said after Singapore. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser to just close the books and step back from the fray.