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McLaren along with F1 could do with any conclusive outcome in the title fight between Lando Norris and Piastri getting resolved on the track and without reference to the pit wall as the championship finale begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to internal strain

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs concluded, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. The British driver was likely more than aware about the historical parallels regarding his retort toward his upset colleague at the last race weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“Should you criticize 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 pass which resulted in the cars colliding.

The remark appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” justification he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan in 1990, securing him the championship.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he never intended of letting Prost to defeat him through the first corner while Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague during the pass. This incident was a result of him touching the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; the implication being their collision was verboten under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene in their favor.

Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race against each other and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes just or unjust – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – 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 at what point their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two may – finally – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach a point where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes team principal Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I guess the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For the audience, during this dual battle, getting interesting will likely be appreciated as a track duel rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because for F1 the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making the correct decisions for themselves with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Racing purity against squad control

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest 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, than the impression that each contentious incident will be pored over by the team to determine if they need to intervene and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it is in danger of potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places at Monza due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern of favouritism also looms.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated because it may be considered that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri said that they did, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“We've had several difficult situations and we discussed a number of things,” he said after Singapore. “However finally it's educational with the whole team.”

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