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The British racing team along with Formula One would benefit from any conclusive outcome during this title fight involving Lando Norris & Piastri getting resolved on the track rather than without reference to team orders with the championship finale begins at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and tense debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. During an intense title fight against Piastri, that Norris invoked a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move through an opening then you should not be in F1,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to pass that led to their vehicles making contact.

The remark appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “Should you stop attempting an available gap that exists you are no longer a racing driver” justification he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit is similar, the wording is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague during the pass. This incident was a result of him clipping the car of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was forbidden by team protocols for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal the squad to step in in their favor.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now includes bad luck, strategy and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue of perception.

Most crucially for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and at what point their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport among them may – finally – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come to a situation where minor points count,” commented Mercedes boss 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 starts to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as an on-track confrontation instead of a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from all this is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Racing purity against team management

However, with racers competing for the title appealing to the team to decide matters appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Luck and destiny will have roles, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will increase and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Previously, following the team's decision for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

No one wants to witness a championship constantly disputed because it may be considered that fairness attempts were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left to do their cramming, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.