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McLaren and F1 could do with anything decisive during this championship battle involving Lando Norris & Piastri being decided through on-track action rather than without reference to team orders as the championship finale kicks off this weekend at COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was likely more than aware about the historical parallels regarding his retort toward his upset colleague during the previous grand prix 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 Senna's iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment seemed to echo Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap that exists then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

Although the attitude is similar, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost beat him through the first corner while Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague during the pass. That itself was a result of him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; the implication being the two teammates clashing was verboten by team protocols for racing and Norris should be instructed to give back the position he gained. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that during disputes between them, both will promptly appeal the squad to step in 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 strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Most crucially for the championship, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and when their perspectives might split from the team's stance. Which is when the amicable relationship among them could eventually – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come a point where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase further. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, during this dual battle, increased excitement will likely be appreciated in the form of an on-track confrontation rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Not least because for F1 the other impression from these events isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for themselves and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship in Singapore (though a great achievement diminished by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they possess a moral and principled leader who truly aims to act correctly.

Sporting integrity versus squad control

However, with racers in a championship fight appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided on track. Chance and fate will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the team to determine if intervention is needed and then cleared up later in private.

The examination will increase with every occurrence it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Already, after the team made for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Team perspective and future challenges

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts were unequal. Questioned whether he felt the team had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he stated after Singapore. “But ultimately it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better to just stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.