🔗 Share this article

McLaren and Formula One would benefit from anything decisive during this title fight between Lando Norris & Piastri getting resolved through on-track action and without reference to the pit wall as the title run-in begins at the COTA on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath leads to team tensions

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a reset. Norris was likely fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last race weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight against Piastri, his reference to one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely from incidents characterizing the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going an inside move through an opening then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris 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 for a gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he gave to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion at Suzuka in 1990, securing him the title.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he had no intent to allow Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he had with his McLaren teammate as he went through. This incident was a result of him touching the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being the two teammates clashing was forbidden 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 between them, both will promptly appeal to the team to step in on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another and strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules about what defines just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents such as in Singapore – there is the question of perception.

Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists as fair and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come to a situation where minor points count,” commented Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose the elbows are going to come out further. That’s when it starts to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since for F1 the alternative perception from these events isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to do the right thing.

Racing purity against team management

However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their contest should be decided through racing. Luck and destiny will play their part, but better to let them just battle freely and see how fortune falls, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and subsequently resolved later in private.

The examination will intensify and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Already, after the team made their drivers swap places at Monza due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

No one wants to see a title endlessly debated because it may be considered that fairness attempts had not been balanced. Questioned whether he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he stated post-race. “But ultimately it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal room for error for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply close the books and step back from the conflict.