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McLaren along with Formula One would benefit from any conclusive outcome in the title fight between Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved on the track rather than without resorting to the pit wall with the title run-in kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath leads to team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was almost certainly fully conscious about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague at the last race weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going an inside move of a big gap then you should not be in Formula One,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists then you cease to be a true racer” defence he provided to the racing knight after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

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 did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow 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, notably, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was verboten by team protocols for racing and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race against each other and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception.

Most crucially for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and at what point their opinion may diverge with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach to a situation where minor points count,” commented Mercedes boss Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I guess the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will likely be appreciated in the form of a track duel rather than a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from all this is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who truly aims to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity against team management

However, with racers in a championship fight appealing to the team to decide matters appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided through racing. Luck and destiny will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to determine if they need to intervene and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, after the team made for position swaps in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated because it may be considered that fairness attempts were unequal. Questioned whether he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “However finally it's educational with the whole team.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little room for error to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and step back from the fray.