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The British racing team and Formula One could do with anything decisive in the title fight involving Lando Norris and Piastri getting resolved through on-track action and without resorting to team orders with the championship finale kicks off this weekend at COTA on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix fallout prompts team tensions

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and tense post-race analyses concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a reset. Norris was likely fully conscious of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight with the Australian, that Norris invoked a famous Senna well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for just going on the inside of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists you are no longer a racing driver” defence he provided to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion at Suzuka in 1990, securing him the title.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent of letting Prost beat him at turn one while Norris did try to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he had with his McLaren teammate as he went through. That itself was a result of him touching the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was verboten under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris should be instructed to return the place he had made. The team refused, but it was indicative that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask to the team to step in on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules about what defines fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there is the question regarding opinions.

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

“It’s going to come a point where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes boss Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase further. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations 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 instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from all this is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (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 principled leader who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity versus squad control

Yet having drivers competing for the title looking to the pitwall to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition should be decided on track. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the squad to ascertain whether they need to intervene and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris won, the shadow of concern of favouritism 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. Questioned whether he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he said post-race. “But ultimately it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

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 step back from the conflict.