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McLaren along with F1 could do with anything decisive during this title fight between Norris and Oscar Piastri being decided through on-track action rather than without reference to the pit wall as the title run-in kicks off at the COTA on Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to team tensions

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs concluded, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. During an intense championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined 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 of his opening-lap attempt to overtake that led to the cars colliding.

His comment seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting an available gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the title.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted 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, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague during the pass. That itself was a result of him touching the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; the implication being the two teammates clashing was verboten under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris ought to be told to give back the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to step in on his behalf.

Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race against each other and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception.

Of most import to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and at what point their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship among them may – finally – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach a point where minor points count,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will likely be appreciated as a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Not least because for F1 the other impression from these events isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement diminished by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and with Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and upright commander who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Racing purity versus team management

Yet having drivers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Chance and fate will have roles, 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 they need to intervene and subsequently resolved later in private.

The examination will intensify and each time it happens it is in danger of potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, after the team made for position swaps at Monza because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern of favouritism also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship endlessly debated because it may be considered that fairness attempts were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several challenging moments and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it's educational with the whole team.”

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