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McLaren along with F1 would benefit from any conclusive outcome in the championship battle between Norris & Oscar Piastri being decided through on-track action and without resorting to team orders with the championship finale begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to internal strain

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and tense post-race analyses concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was almost certainly fully conscious of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one yet the occurrence which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to pass that led to the cars colliding.

The remark appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap which is there then you cease to be a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion in Japan back in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him through the first corner while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty despite the minor contact he had with his McLaren teammate as he went through. That itself was a result of him touching the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to give back the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics and fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there remains the issue of perception.

Of most import to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It will reach to a situation where minor points count,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I suppose the elbows are going to come out further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For the audience, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as a track duel instead of a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the other impression from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (though a great achievement diminished by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and upright commander who truly aims to do the right thing.

Racing purity versus team management

However, with racers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition should be decided on track. Chance and fate will have roles, but better to let them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that each contentious incident will be pored over by the squad to ascertain whether they need to intervene and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Already, after the team made for position swaps in Italy due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said that they did, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“We've had several difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “But ultimately it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal room for error for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better to just stop analyzing and step back from the fray.