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The British racing team and F1 would benefit from anything decisive during this title fight between Lando Norris & Piastri being decided through on-track action rather than without resorting to the pit wall as the championship finale kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware about the historical parallels of his riposte 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 most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature to those that defined Senna's great rivalries.

“If you fault me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to pass that led to their vehicles making contact.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting an available gap which is there then you cease to be a true racer” defence he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with the French champion in Japan in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

Although the attitude remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent of letting Prost beat him at turn one while Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake 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 as he went through. That itself was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was verboten by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Most crucially for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists as fair and at what point their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. Which is when their friendly rapport among them could eventually – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes team principal Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate 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 title consequences

For the audience, during this dual battle, increased excitement will probably be welcomed as an on-track confrontation rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Not least because for F1 the other impression from these events isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking appropriate choices for their interests and it has paid off. They secured their tenth team championship in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and in Andrea Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against team management

However, with racers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest ought to be determined through racing. Luck and destiny will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the squad to determine if intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will increase and each time it happens it risks possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Previously, after the team made for position swaps in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship endlessly debated because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair were unequal. Questioned whether he felt the team had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri responded that they did, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“We've had several difficult situations and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

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