Lando Norris as Senna versus Oscar Piastri likened to Prost? Not exactly, but the team must hope championship gets decided on track

McLaren and F1 would benefit from anything decisive in the title fight between Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri being decided on the track rather than without resorting to the pit wall as the title run-in begins at the Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to internal strain

With the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs concluded, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight with the Australian, his reference to a famous Senna well-known quotes was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go an available gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he provided to the racing knight after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris did try to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague during the pass. That itself stemmed from him touching the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that in any cases of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race against each other and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents over what constitutes fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now includes misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship among them could eventually – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach to a situation where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I suppose the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

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 spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who truly aims to act correctly.

Sporting integrity versus team management

Yet having drivers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Chance and fate will have roles, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the squad to determine if they need to intervene and then cleared up later in private.

The examination will intensify and each time it happens it risks possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri believing 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 upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he said after Singapore. “But ultimately it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little room for error for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.