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McLaren and Formula One could do with any conclusive outcome during this title fight between Norris & Piastri getting resolved through on-track action and without reference to team orders as the championship finale kicks off this weekend at COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to internal strain

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful post-race analyses concluded, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. Norris was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague at the last grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for just going an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in F1,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” defence he provided to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent of letting Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he made against his McLaren teammate during the pass. This incident stemmed from him clipping the car of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was verboten by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race against each other and strive to maintain strict fairness. Aside from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes misfortune, strategy and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import to the title race, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split from the team's stance. Which is when the amicable relationship among them may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come a point where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I suppose the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as an on-track confrontation rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Not least because in Formula One the other impression from all this is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for themselves with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they have an ethical and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity versus squad control

However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided on track. Chance and fate will have roles, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be pored over by the squad 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 possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Already, following the team's decision for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern about bias also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

Nobody desires to witness a championship endlessly debated because it may be considered that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri said that they did, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“We've had several difficult situations and we discussed a number of things,” he said after Singapore. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser now to simply close the books and step back from the conflict.