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McLaren along with Formula One would benefit from anything decisive in the title fight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri being decided on the track and without resorting to the pit wall as the championship finale begins at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath prompts internal strain

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and tense post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was almost certainly more than aware about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague at the last race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for just going on the inside of a big gap then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris 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 that exists you are no longer a racing driver” justification he provided to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the championship.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

Although the attitude remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost beat him at turn one while Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself stemmed from him touching the car of Max Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask to the team to step in on his behalf.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and strive to maintain strict fairness. Aside from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules about what defines fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now includes misfortune, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there is the question regarding opinions.

Of most import to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and at what point their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport between the two could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come to a situation where minor points count,” commented Mercedes team principal Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as a track duel instead of a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they possess a moral and upright commander who truly aims to act correctly.

Sporting integrity against squad control

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team to decide matters appears unsightly. Their competition should be decided on track. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the team to determine if intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places in Italy because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern of favouritism also looms.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted it's a developing process.

“We've had several difficult situations and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated post-race. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little room for error for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and withdraw from the fray.