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The British racing team along with Formula One could do with any conclusive outcome during this title fight between Norris and Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without resorting to the pit wall as the title run-in kicks off at the COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath prompts team tensions

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting on the inside of a big gap then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to overtake that led to the cars colliding.

His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “Should you stop attempting for a gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” justification he provided to the racing knight after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka in 1990, securing him the championship.

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 to defeat him through the first corner while Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague as he went through. That itself stemmed from him touching the Red Bull driven by Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was forbidden under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that during disputes of contention, both will promptly appeal the squad to step in on his behalf.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race against each other and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question regarding opinions.

Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I guess aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For spectators, during this dual battle, getting interesting will likely be appreciated as a track duel rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from all this is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren is taking appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Racing purity versus squad control

However, with racers competing for the title appealing to the team to decide matters is unedifying. Their contest ought to be determined on track. Chance and fate will play their part, but better to let them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be pored over by the team to determine if intervention is needed and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Already, after the team made their drivers swap places in Italy because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said that they did, but mentioned it's a developing process.

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

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal room for error for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser to just close the books and withdraw from the fray.