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The British racing team along with F1 could do with anything decisive during this title fight involving Norris and Piastri getting resolved on the track and without reference to team orders with the title run-in kicks off this weekend at COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts internal strain

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight with the Australian, that Norris invoked a famous Senna well-known quotes was lost on no one yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in F1,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “Should you stop attempting an available gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” justification he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he never intended to allow Prost to defeat him at turn one while Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague as he went through. This incident stemmed from him touching the car of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that their collision was verboten by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to give back the place he had made. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that during disputes between them, both will promptly appeal to the team to step in on his behalf.

Squad management and impartiality being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race one another and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules over what constitutes just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, strategy 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 is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when the amicable relationship between the two could eventually – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes team principal Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I suppose the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Not least because for F1 the alternative perception from all this is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They secured their tenth team championship in Singapore (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 principled leader who truly aims to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity versus team management

However, with racers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions is unedifying. Their contest ought to be determined on track. Luck and destiny will have roles, 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 squad to determine if they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will intensify with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Previously, following the team's decision for position swaps 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 shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“We've had several challenging moments and we discussed various aspects,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal room for error to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just close the books and step back from the fray.