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McLaren and Formula One could do with any conclusive outcome in the title fight involving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without reference to team orders as the title run-in begins at the COTA on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to team tensions

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. Norris was likely more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort toward his upset colleague during the previous race weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“If you fault me for just going on the inside through an opening then you should not be in F1,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion in Japan back in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

Although the attitude is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he never intended to allow Prost beat him through the first corner while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he made against his McLaren teammate as he went through. That itself stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden by team protocols for racing and Norris ought to be told to return the position he gained. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to step in on his behalf.

Team dynamics and fairness being examined

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race against each other and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers misfortune, tactical calls and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there is the question regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when the amicable relationship among them may – finally – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come a point where minor points count,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase further. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will likely be appreciated as an on-track confrontation instead of a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Not least because in Formula One the other impression from all this 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 at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against squad control

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the team to determine if they need to intervene and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it risks possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Already, after the team made for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris won, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

No one wants to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts had not been balanced. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri said that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he stated after Singapore. “But ultimately it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little room for error for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser to just close the books and withdraw from the conflict.