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The British racing team along with Formula One could do with any conclusive outcome during this title fight involving Norris & Oscar Piastri being decided on the track and without reference to team orders as the championship finale kicks off at the Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts internal strain

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs concluded, McLaren will be hoping for a reset. Norris was likely fully conscious of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight against Piastri, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one yet the occurrence which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined Senna's great rivalries.

“If you fault me for simply attempting an inside move through an opening then you should not be in F1,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

The remark seemed to echo Senna’s “If you no longer go for a gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” justification he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into Alain Prost in Japan in 1990, securing him the championship.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent to allow Prost to defeat him through the first corner while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake 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. That itself was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; the implication being the two teammates clashing was verboten by team protocols for racing and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal the squad to intervene in their favor.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race one another and strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now covers misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport among them may – finally – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come a point where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes boss Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the other impression from all this is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Racing purity versus team management

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined through racing. Luck and destiny will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the team to determine if they need to intervene and subsequently resolved 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 their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern about bias also looms.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants to see a title endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“We've had several challenging moments and we discussed various aspects,” he said after Singapore. “But ultimately it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and withdraw from the conflict.