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The British racing team along with F1 would benefit from any conclusive outcome in the title fight between Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved on the track and without reference to the pit wall with the championship finale begins at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful post-race analyses concluded, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined Senna's iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in F1,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go an available gap that exists then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he provided to the racing knight after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended to allow Prost to defeat him through the first corner whereas Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague as he went through. This incident stemmed from him touching the Red Bull of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; the implication being the two teammates clashing was verboten under McLaren’s rules 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 during disputes of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene on his behalf.

Squad management and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete one another and strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes just or unjust – under these conditions, now covers misfortune, strategy and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue of perception.

Of most import to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two may – finally – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase a bit more. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will likely be appreciated in the form of a track duel rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for themselves with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement diminished by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Sporting integrity against team management

However, with racers competing for the title looking to the pitwall to decide matters appears unsightly. Their competition should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will have roles, but better to let them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely 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 risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Already, after the team made their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. Questioned whether he believed the squad had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “But ultimately it's educational with the whole team.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser now to simply close the books and withdraw from the fray.