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The British racing team and F1 would benefit from anything decisive in the title fight between Norris and Oscar Piastri being decided through on-track action rather than without resorting to the pit wall with the championship finale begins at the COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath leads to team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a fresh start. Norris was likely more than aware about the historical parallels regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“If you fault 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 pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” defence he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost at Suzuka in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost beat him through the first corner while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he made against his team colleague during the pass. This incident stemmed from him touching the Red Bull of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to give back the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and fairness under scrutiny

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race one another and strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules about what defines fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers misfortune, strategy and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Of most import to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes team principal 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 get interesting.”

Audience expectations 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. Not least because for F1 the other impression from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for their interests with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and in Andrea Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity against team management

However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition 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 later in private.

The examination will intensify with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places at Monza due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “But ultimately it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little room for error to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just close the books and withdraw from the conflict.