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The British racing team and F1 would benefit from anything decisive during this title fight between Norris and Piastri getting resolved on the track and without reference to the pit wall as the championship finale kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath prompts internal strain

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful post-race analyses concluded, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was likely fully conscious of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight with the Australian, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments was lost on no one but the incident that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“If you fault me for simply attempting on the inside of a big gap then you should not be in F1,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake that led to their vehicles making contact.

His comment seemed to echo Senna’s “Should you stop attempting for a gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

Although the attitude is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended of letting Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague during the pass. This incident stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was forbidden 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 during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene on his behalf.

Squad management and impartiality being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now includes misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Of most import to the title race, with six meetings remaining, 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. That is when their friendly rapport among them may – finally – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach a point where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes boss Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase a bit more. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since for F1 the alternative perception from these events isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against team management

However, with racers competing for the title looking to the pitwall to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined through racing. Luck and destiny will have roles, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, than the impression that each contentious incident will be pored over by the squad to determine if they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will intensify with every occurrence it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern of favouritism also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

No one wants to witness a championship constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but mentioned it's a developing process.

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

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal room for error for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better to just close the books and withdraw from the conflict.