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McLaren along with F1 could do with anything decisive in the championship battle between Norris and Oscar Piastri being decided 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.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was likely more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment 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 of a big gap then you should not be in F1,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists then you cease to be a racing driver” 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 wording is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague during the pass. That itself was a result of him clipping the Red Bull of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; the implication being their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to return the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to step in in their favor.

Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to maintain strict fairness. Aside from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes misfortune, tactical calls and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. Which 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 boss Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I guess the elbows are going to come out further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For the audience, during this dual battle, getting interesting will likely be appreciated as an on-track confrontation rather than a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Not least because for F1 the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity versus team management

However, with racers in a championship fight appealing to the team to decide matters appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided through racing. Luck and destiny will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to ascertain whether they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will increase with every occurrence it is in danger of potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, following the team's decision for position swaps in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he stated post-race. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

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