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The British racing team along with F1 would benefit from any conclusive outcome in the title fight involving Norris and Oscar Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without resorting to the pit wall as the title run-in kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a reset. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious of the historical context of his riposte toward his upset colleague during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, that Norris invoked a famous Senna well-known quotes did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined Senna's great rivalries.

“If you fault me for just going on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in F1,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to pass that led to their vehicles making contact.

The remark appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

Although the attitude is similar, the wording marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he had with his McLaren teammate during the pass. This incident stemmed from him touching the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal the squad to intervene on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to let their drivers race against each other and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Of most import to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport among them could eventually – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come to a situation where minor points count,” said Mercedes boss Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase a bit more. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will likely be appreciated as a track duel rather than a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Not least because in Formula One the other impression from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity versus team management

Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their competition ought to be determined through racing. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the team to ascertain whether intervention is needed and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify and each time it happens it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Already, following the team's decision for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear about bias also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

No one wants to see a title constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several challenging moments and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he stated post-race. “However finally it's educational with the whole team.”

Six meetings remain. 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 fray.