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McLaren along with F1 would benefit from anything decisive during this title fight involving Norris and Oscar Piastri getting resolved through on-track action and without resorting to the pit wall with the title run-in kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to internal strain

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a reset. Norris was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague during the previous grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel against Piastri, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing Senna's iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting on the inside of a big gap then you don't belong in F1,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “If you no longer go for a gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” defence he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan back in 1990, securing him the title.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

Although the attitude remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended of letting Prost beat him through the first corner while Norris did try to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he made against his team colleague as he went through. This incident stemmed from him touching the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was forbidden under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene on his behalf.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now includes misfortune, strategy and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception.

Of most import to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and at what point their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport between the two 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 Toto Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I guess aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For spectators, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation instead of a data-driven decision of circumstances. Especially since for F1 the alternative perception from these events isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity against squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest ought to be determined on track. Luck and destiny will play their part, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be pored over by the team to determine if intervention is needed and then cleared up later in private.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Already, after the team made for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

Nobody desires to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several challenging moments and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated post-race. “But ultimately it's educational with the whole team.”

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