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McLaren along with Formula One could do with anything decisive during this title fight involving Norris and Piastri being decided on the track and without resorting to team orders with the title run-in kicks off at the COTA on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath leads to team tensions

With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a reset. Norris was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’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 regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into Alain Prost in Japan back in 1990, securing him the title.

Parallel mindset but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, 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. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he had with his McLaren teammate as he went through. This incident stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to return the place he had made. The team refused, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to step in on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when the amicable relationship between the two could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It will reach to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose the elbows are going to come out further. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, during this dual battle, increased excitement will probably be welcomed as an on-track confrontation instead of a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from all this isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement diminished by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and with Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against squad control

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team to decide matters is unedifying. Their contest should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will play their part, but better to let them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, than the impression that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the team to ascertain whether they need to intervene and then cleared up later in private.

The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Previously, after the team made for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing 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 of favouritism also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

No one wants to see a title constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. Questioned whether 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.

“We've had several challenging moments and we discussed a number of things,” he said post-race. “However finally it's educational with the whole team.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal room for error for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser now to simply stop analyzing and withdraw from the fray.