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McLaren along with F1 could do with any conclusive outcome during this championship battle between Lando Norris and Piastri being decided through on-track action and without resorting to team orders as the title run-in begins at the COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath prompts internal strain

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and tense post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was likely more than aware about the historical parallels regarding his retort toward his upset colleague at the last race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments was lost on no one yet the occurrence that provoked his comment 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,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting an available gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” defence he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one while Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his McLaren teammate as he went through. This incident was a result of him touching the Red Bull driven by Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; the implication being the two teammates clashing was verboten by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to give back the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask to the team to step in in their favor.

Team dynamics and fairness being examined

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, strategy and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there is the question regarding opinions.

Most crucially for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when the amicable relationship among them could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes team principal Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose the elbows are going to come out further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will likely be appreciated as an on-track confrontation rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Especially since for F1 the other impression from all this is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for themselves with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against team management

Yet having drivers in a championship fight appealing to the team to decide matters appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined through racing. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow 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 examination will intensify and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Previously, after the team made for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. When asked if he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we discussed a number of things,” he stated post-race. “However finally it's educational with the whole team.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply close the books and withdraw from the fray.