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McLaren and Formula One would benefit from anything decisive during this championship battle between Norris & Piastri being decided on the track rather than without reference to the pit wall as the championship finale kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful post-race analyses concluded, McLaren will be hoping for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context of his riposte toward his upset colleague during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel against Piastri, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for simply attempting on the inside of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment seemed to echo Senna’s “Should you stop attempting an available gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

Although the attitude is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended to allow Prost to defeat him through the first corner whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he had with his McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; 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, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics and fairness being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and at what point their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship among them could eventually – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach to a situation where minor points count,” said Mercedes team principal Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose the elbows are going to come out further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the other impression from these events isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Racing purity against team management

However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall to decide matters appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided through racing. Chance and fate will have roles, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the team to ascertain whether intervention is needed and then cleared up later in private.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Previously, following the team's decision for position swaps at Monza because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Team perspective and future challenges

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair were unequal. Questioned whether he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he stated post-race. “But ultimately it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.