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McLaren along with F1 would benefit from anything decisive in the title fight involving Norris and Oscar Piastri being decided on the track rather than without resorting to team orders with the title run-in begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath prompts team tensions

With the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort toward his upset colleague at the last grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for just going an inside move through an opening then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to pass that led to their vehicles making contact.

His comment seemed to echo Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” justification he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

Although the attitude remains comparable, the wording is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost to defeat him at turn one whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. In fact, 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 touching the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was verboten under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the place he had made. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that in any cases between them, each would quickly ask to the team to step in in their favor.

Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to maintain strict fairness. Aside from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers misfortune, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists as fair and at what point their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship among them could eventually – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach to a situation where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes team principal Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase a bit more. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will probably be welcomed as a track duel rather than a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Not least because for F1 the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for their interests with successful results. They clinched their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and upright commander who truly aims to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity against team management

Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided through racing. Chance and fate will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to ascertain whether intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, after the team made for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also looms.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri said he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“We've had several difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “But ultimately it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser to just close the books and step back from the conflict.