🔗 Share this article

The British racing team and Formula One could do with any conclusive outcome in the championship battle involving Lando Norris and Piastri being decided 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 on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts team tensions

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. During an intense championship duel with the Australian, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move through an opening then you don't belong in F1,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

The remark seemed to echo Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap that exists then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording 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. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he made against his team colleague during the pass. That itself stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was verboten under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and fairness being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race against each other and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes just or unjust – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there is the question regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will likely be appreciated as a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from all this is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined through racing. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, than the impression that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to ascertain whether intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will increase with every occurrence it is in danger of potentially making a difference that could be critical. Already, following the team's decision for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern about bias also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

Nobody desires to see a title endlessly debated because it may be considered that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we discussed a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it's educational with the whole team.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser now to simply close the books and withdraw from the conflict.