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The British racing team and Formula One would benefit from any conclusive outcome in the title fight between Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved through on-track action and without reference to the pit wall with the championship finale begins at the COTA starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix fallout leads to internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was likely fully conscious of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix 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 was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake that led to the cars colliding.

His comment appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting an available gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” defence he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he had no intent of letting Prost beat him at turn one whereas Norris did try to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his McLaren teammate during the pass. This incident stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was verboten by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to give back the place he had made. 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 fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and strive to maintain strict fairness. Aside from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents about what defines fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there is the question regarding opinions.

Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their opinion may diverge with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when the amicable relationship among them could eventually – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come a point where minor points count,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I guess aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For spectators, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from these events isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They clinched their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they possess a moral and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Racing purity versus team management

Yet having drivers in a championship fight appealing to the team for resolutions is unedifying. Their contest should be decided on track. Chance and fate will play their part, but better to let them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the team to determine if they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship endlessly debated because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he said post-race. “But ultimately it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little room for error to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and step back from the fray.