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The British racing team along with F1 would benefit from anything decisive in the championship battle involving Lando Norris & Piastri getting resolved on the track rather than without reference to team orders as the title run-in begins this weekend at COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts team tensions

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful post-race analyses concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. During an intense championship duel against Piastri, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined Senna's iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting on the inside through an opening then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “Should you stop attempting for a gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” defence he gave to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

Although the attitude remains comparable, the wording marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost to defeat him at turn one while Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague as he went through. This incident stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris should be instructed to give back the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene in their favor.

Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race against each other 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 includes misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship among them may – finally – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come a point where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That's when it begins 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 an on-track confrontation instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the other impression from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests with successful results. They clinched their tenth team championship in Singapore (though a great achievement diminished by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they have an ethical and upright commander who truly aims to do the right thing.

Racing purity against squad control

Yet having drivers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will play their part, but better to let them just battle freely and see how fortune falls, than the impression that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed 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, after the team made for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern of favouritism also looms.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

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