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McLaren and Formula One could do with anything decisive in the championship battle involving Lando Norris & Piastri being decided on the track rather than without resorting to the pit wall as the championship finale kicks off at the COTA starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and tense post-race analyses concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was likely more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. During an intense championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries.

“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 that led to the cars colliding.

The remark seemed to echo Senna’s “If you no longer go for a gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” defence he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the title.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he never intended to allow Prost beat him at turn one whereas Norris did try to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague as he went through. That itself was a result of him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that their collision was verboten by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the place he had made. The team refused, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Aside from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents about what defines 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.

Of most import for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists as fair and at what point their opinion may diverge with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when their friendly rapport between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where minor points count,” said Mercedes team principal 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 starts to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For the audience, during this dual battle, getting interesting will likely be appreciated as an on-track confrontation instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They clinched their tenth team championship in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and upright commander who truly aims to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity versus team management

Yet having drivers in a championship fight appealing to the team to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined through racing. Luck and destiny will play their part, but better to let them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and then cleared up later in private.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it is in danger of potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also emerges.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated because it may be considered that fairness attempts were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little room for error to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just close the books and withdraw from the conflict.