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The British racing team and Formula One could do with anything decisive in the championship battle involving Lando Norris and Piastri being decided on the track and without reference to the pit wall with the title run-in begins this weekend at COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a reset. Norris was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague during the previous race weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely from incidents characterizing Senna's iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “Should you stop attempting an available gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” defence he provided to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka in 1990, securing him the championship.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the wording marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one whereas Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague during the pass. This incident was a result of him touching the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was forbidden under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris should be instructed to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that in any cases between them, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics and fairness being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers misfortune, tactical calls and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Most crucially to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach a point where minor points count,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I guess aggression will increase a bit more. 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 a track duel rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since for F1 the other impression from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They secured their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (though a great achievement diminished by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and upright commander who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Sporting integrity against team management

Yet having drivers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined through racing. 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 team 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 in Italy because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern of favouritism also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

No one wants to see a title endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

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

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.