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The British racing team and F1 could do with anything decisive during this championship battle involving Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved on the track and without resorting to team orders as the title run-in kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight against Piastri, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence which triggered his statement differed completely from incidents characterizing Senna's iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for just going an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to pass that led to their vehicles making contact.

The remark appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” defence he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost beat 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 even with the glancing blow he made against his McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself was a result of him clipping the car of Max Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was verboten under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that during disputes between them, both will promptly appeal the squad to step in in their favor.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules about what defines just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now covers misfortune, strategy and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there remains the issue of perception.

Most crucially to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists as fair and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss 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 championship implications

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting 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 isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their tenth team championship in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they possess a moral and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Sporting integrity versus team management

Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall to decide matters appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Luck and destiny will play their part, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and subsequently resolved later in private.

The examination will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

No one wants to see a title endlessly debated because it may be considered that fairness attempts had not been balanced. Questioned whether he felt the team had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“We've had several challenging moments and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he said after Singapore. “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 close the books and withdraw from the conflict.