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The British racing team and Formula One would benefit from any conclusive outcome during this championship battle involving Lando Norris & Piastri getting resolved on the track and without resorting to team orders with the title run-in begins at the COTA on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a reset. Norris was almost certainly fully conscious of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight against Piastri, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments was lost on no one yet the occurrence that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature to those that defined Senna's iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in F1,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go an available gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” defence he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the title.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

Although the attitude is similar, the wording marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost beat him through the first corner while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he made against his McLaren teammate during the pass. This incident stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to return the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene in their favor.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race against each other and strive to maintain strict fairness. Aside from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I guess the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They secured their tenth team championship in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will have roles, but better to let them just battle freely and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the team to ascertain whether intervention is needed and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants to see a title endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri said that they did, but noted it's a developing process.

“We've had several challenging moments and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he stated post-race. “But ultimately it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser to just close the books and withdraw from the conflict.