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McLaren and Formula One could do with anything decisive in the championship battle involving Lando Norris and Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without resorting to team orders as the championship finale begins at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath prompts team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and tense post-race analyses dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was likely more than aware of the historical context of his riposte toward his upset colleague at the last grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight with the Australian, that Norris invoked a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

The remark appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go for a gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

Although the attitude remains comparable, the wording is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended to allow Prost beat him at turn one while Norris did try to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he had with his team colleague as he went through. That itself stemmed from him clipping the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was verboten under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris should be instructed to give back the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that in any cases of contention, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics and fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes misfortune, strategy and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there is the question regarding opinions.

Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. Which is when their friendly rapport among them may – finally – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come to a situation where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase further. 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 a track duel rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from these events isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren is taking appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They secured their tenth team championship in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Racing purity versus team management

However, with racers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their competition should be decided through racing. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern of favouritism also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

No one wants to see a title constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair were unequal. Questioned whether he felt the team had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

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

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and step back from the fray.