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McLaren and F1 would benefit from any conclusive outcome during this title fight involving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri getting resolved on the track and without resorting to team orders as the title run-in kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs concluded, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. The British driver was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate during the previous race weekend. During an intense title fight against Piastri, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments was lost on no one yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for just going on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in Formula One,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to pass that led to the cars colliding.

The remark seemed to echo Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” defence he gave to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion in Japan in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

Although the attitude remains comparable, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost beat him at turn one whereas Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague as he went through. This incident was a result of him touching the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was verboten under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the place he had made. The team refused, but it was indicative that during disputes between them, each would quickly ask to the team to step in in their favor.

Squad management and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now covers bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there remains the issue of perception.

Most crucially for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It will reach to a situation where minor points count,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after Singapore. “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 begins to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will likely be appreciated as an on-track confrontation rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Especially since for F1 the other impression from these events isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making the correct decisions for themselves and it has paid off. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against squad control

However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall to decide matters is unedifying. Their contest should be decided through racing. 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 every disputed moment will be pored over by the squad to ascertain whether they need to intervene and then cleared up later in private.

The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Already, after the team made for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear about bias also looms.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants to see a title constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed a number of things,” he stated post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left to do their cramming, so it may be better to just stop analyzing and withdraw from the fray.