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McLaren and F1 could do with anything decisive in the title fight between Lando Norris and Piastri being decided on the track rather than without reference to team orders with the championship finale begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix fallout prompts team tensions

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and tense debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a reset. Norris was almost certainly more than aware about the historical parallels regarding his retort toward his upset colleague at the last grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked a famous Senna well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries.

“If you fault me for simply attempting on the inside of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go an available gap that exists then you cease to be a true racer” justification he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into the French champion in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he never intended to allow Prost to defeat him through the first corner while Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he made against his team colleague as he went through. This incident was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; the implication being their collision was verboten by team protocols for racing and Norris should be instructed to give back the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to step in in their favor.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete one another and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules about what defines 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 to the title race, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and at what point their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport among them could eventually – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach to a situation where minor points count,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I guess aggression will increase 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 probably be welcomed as an on-track confrontation rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the other impression from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity versus team management

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided on track. Chance and fate will have roles, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the squad to determine if they need to intervene and then cleared up later in private.

The examination will intensify and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also looms.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants 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 said he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “But ultimately it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal room for error to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just close the books and step back from the conflict.