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The British racing team along with F1 would benefit from any conclusive outcome during this title fight between Norris and Piastri getting resolved through on-track action and without reference to the pit wall with the championship finale kicks off at the COTA starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts internal strain

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight against Piastri, that Norris invoked a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for simply attempting on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in F1,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to overtake that led to the cars colliding.

The remark appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists then you cease to be a true racer” justification he provided to the racing knight following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one while Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he made against his McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself was a result of him clipping the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden by team protocols for racing and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask to the team to step in in their favor.

Team dynamics and fairness being examined

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes bad luck, strategy and racing incidents 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, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their opinion may diverge with that of the McLaren pitwall. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I guess aggression will increase a bit more. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will likely be appreciated as an on-track confrontation rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from these events isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (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 principled leader who truly aims to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity versus squad control

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 have roles, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that every disputed moment will be pored over by the squad to determine if they need to intervene and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will increase 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 in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“We've had several challenging moments and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he said after Singapore. “But ultimately it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser now to simply stop analyzing and withdraw from the fray.