🔗 Share this article

McLaren along with F1 would benefit from anything decisive during this title fight involving Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri being decided on the track rather than without reference to the pit wall as the title run-in begins at the COTA starting Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout prompts team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a reset. Norris was almost certainly fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel against Piastri, 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.

“If you fault me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to pass that led to the cars colliding.

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go for a gap which is there you are no longer a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent to allow Prost to defeat him through the first corner whereas Norris did try to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he had with his McLaren teammate as he went through. This incident was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, notably, immediately declared that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to return the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that during disputes between them, both will promptly appeal the squad to step in in their favor.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and strive to maintain strict fairness. Aside from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents about what defines fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, tactical calls and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists as fair and at what point their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when their friendly rapport among them could eventually – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It will reach to a situation where minor points count,” said Mercedes boss Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I guess aggression will increase further. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For the audience, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as a track duel rather than a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from all this is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Sporting integrity versus team management

Yet having drivers in a championship fight appealing to the team to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition should be decided on track. 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 team to ascertain whether they need to intervene 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 for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured 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 about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title constantly disputed because it may be considered that fairness attempts were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he stated post-race. “But ultimately it's educational with the whole team.”

Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the conflict.