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The British racing team and Formula One could do with anything decisive during this title fight between Lando Norris and Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without resorting to team orders with the championship finale begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath leads to team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a fresh start. Norris was almost certainly fully conscious of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked a famous Senna most famous sentiments was lost on no one but the incident that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move through an opening then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting an available gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan in 1990, securing him the championship.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

Although the attitude is similar, the wording marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost to defeat him through the first corner whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he had with his McLaren teammate as he went through. This incident stemmed from him touching the car of Max Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that their collision was forbidden under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that in any cases between them, both will promptly appeal the squad to intervene on his behalf.

Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race against each other and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and at what point their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. 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,” commented 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 a bit more. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as an on-track confrontation instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They secured their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Sporting integrity versus team management

Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition should be decided through racing. Luck and destiny will play their part, but better to let them just battle freely and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be analyzed intensely by the squad to determine if intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will increase and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Already, following the team's decision for position swaps at Monza because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that fairness attempts were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several difficult situations and we discussed a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “But ultimately it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little room for error to do their cramming, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and withdraw from the conflict.