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McLaren along with F1 would benefit from anything decisive in the title fight between Norris and Piastri being decided on the track and without reference to team orders as the championship finale begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix fallout prompts team tensions

With the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a reset. Norris was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined Senna's iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for just going an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in F1,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to pass that led to the cars colliding.

His comment seemed to echo Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” defence he provided to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion in Japan in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended of letting Prost beat him through the first corner while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, 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 stemmed from him clipping 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 forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another 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 covers 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 22 points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their perspectives might split from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where minor points count,” said Mercedes boss Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I guess the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because for F1 the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (though a great achievement diminished by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and in Andrea Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and upright commander who truly aims to do the right thing.

Racing purity versus squad control

However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall to decide matters is unedifying. Their contest should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will play their part, but better to let them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, than the impression that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the squad to determine if they need to intervene and then cleared up later in private.

The examination will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of potentially making a difference that could be critical. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

No one wants to see a title constantly disputed because it may be considered that fairness attempts were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several difficult situations and we discussed a number of things,” he said after Singapore. “However finally it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.