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The British racing team and F1 would benefit from anything decisive in the title fight between Lando Norris and Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without reference to the pit wall as the title run-in begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’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 of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight against Piastri, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined Senna's great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment seemed to echo Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap which is there you are no longer a racing driver” justification he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with the French champion in Japan back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him through the first corner whereas Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague during the pass. This incident was a result of 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”; the implication being their collision was verboten by team protocols for racing 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, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and fairness being examined

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Aside from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue of perception.

Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists as fair and when their opinion may diverge with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach a point where minor points count,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I guess the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will likely be appreciated as an on-track confrontation rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because for F1 the other impression from all this isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for themselves with successful results. They secured their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Sporting integrity against squad control

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team to decide matters appears unsightly. Their contest should be decided through racing. Chance and fate will play their part, but better to let them simply go at it 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 subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will increase with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris won, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also looms.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title endlessly debated over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. 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 discussed a number of things,” he said 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, so it may be better to just close the books and step back from the conflict.