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The British racing team along with Formula One could do with anything decisive in the championship battle involving Lando Norris & Piastri getting resolved on the track rather than without reference to team orders as the title run-in kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix fallout prompts team tensions

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and tense debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a fresh start. The British driver was likely more than aware of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. During an intense 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 differed completely from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move through an opening then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

The remark seemed to echo Senna’s “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” justification he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into Alain Prost in Japan in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the wording is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost beat him through the first corner while Norris did try 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 as he went through. That itself stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that their collision was verboten under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the place he had made. The team refused, but it was indicative that in any cases between them, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene on his behalf.

Squad management and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers misfortune, strategy and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue of perception.

Of most import for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists as fair and at what point their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship between the two could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes team principal Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase further. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will probably be welcomed as a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since for F1 the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they possess a moral and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity versus team management

However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall to decide matters appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined on track. Luck and destiny will play their part, but better to let them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the squad 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. Previously, after the team made their drivers swap places in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also looms.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri responded that they did, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several challenging moments and we discussed a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better to just close the books and step back from the conflict.