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The British racing team and Formula One would benefit from anything decisive in the title fight between Norris and Piastri getting resolved through on-track action and without resorting to the pit wall with the title run-in kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts team tensions

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs concluded, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. Norris was likely fully conscious of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in F1,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in 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” defence he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan back in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the wording is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost to defeat him through the first corner while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty despite the minor contact he had with his McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself was a result of him touching the car of Max Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the place he had made. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I guess the elbows are going to come out further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as a track duel rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Not least because for F1 the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity versus squad control

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 play their part, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the squad to determine if intervention is needed and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern about bias also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he said post-race. “But ultimately it's educational with the whole team.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left to do their cramming, so it may be better now to simply close the books and step back from the fray.