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McLaren and Formula One could do with anything decisive during this title fight involving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri being decided through on-track action rather than without resorting to team orders as the title run-in begins this weekend at COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath leads to internal strain

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was likely more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, his reference to a famous Senna well-known quotes did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“If you fault me for simply attempting on the inside through an opening then you should not be in F1,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go for a gap which is there then you cease to be a true racer” defence he provided to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

Although the attitude remains comparable, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent of letting Prost beat him through the first corner while Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he had with his team colleague as he went through. That itself stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to return the place he had made. 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.

Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race one another and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now covers misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Most crucially for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and when their opinion may diverge with that of the McLaren pitwall. Which is when the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes team principal 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 spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will likely be appreciated as a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since in Formula One the other impression from these events is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making the correct decisions for themselves with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Sporting integrity against squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight 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 observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the squad to determine if intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will increase with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Already, following the team's decision for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

Nobody desires to see a title endlessly debated because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“We've had several difficult situations and we discussed a number of things,” he said post-race. “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, thus perhaps wiser now to simply close the books and step back from the conflict.