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The British racing team along with F1 could do with anything decisive in the championship battle between Lando Norris & Piastri getting resolved on the track rather than without resorting to the pit wall as the championship finale kicks off at the COTA starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix fallout leads to team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs dealt with, McLaren is aiming for a reset. Norris was likely more than aware of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight against Piastri, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting on the inside of a big gap then you should not be in F1,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to pass that led to their vehicles making contact.

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

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the wording is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent to allow Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he made against his McLaren teammate as he went through. That itself stemmed from him clipping the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that their collision was verboten under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris ought to be told to return the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, both will promptly appeal the squad to step in in their favor.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules about what defines fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Most crucially for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come to a situation where minor points count,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires 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 of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the other impression from these events isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (though a great achievement diminished by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they possess a moral and principled leader who truly aims to do the right thing.

Racing purity versus squad control

However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined 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 each contentious incident will be pored over by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it is in danger of potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, following the team's decision for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants to see a title 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 responded he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we discussed various aspects,” he stated post-race. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little wriggle room left to do their cramming, so it may be better to just stop analyzing and withdraw from the conflict.