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McLaren and Formula One could do with any conclusive outcome during this title fight between Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without resorting to the pit wall with the title run-in begins at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts internal strain

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context of his riposte toward his upset colleague at the last race weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for simply attempting on the inside through an opening then you should not be in F1,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to overtake that led to their vehicles making contact.

The remark appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” defence he provided to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended to allow Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he had with his McLaren teammate as he went through. That itself was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to return the place he had made. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that in any cases between them, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics 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. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules about what defines 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, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split 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 to a situation where minor points count,” commented Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel instead of a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Especially since for F1 the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (though a great achievement diminished by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Sporting integrity versus team management

However, with racers competing for the title looking to the pitwall to decide matters appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided on track. Chance and fate will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, than the impression that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to ascertain whether they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Previously, following the team's decision for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern of favouritism also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. When asked if he believed the squad had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri said he believed they had, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several challenging moments and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.