🔗 Share this article

McLaren along with F1 would benefit from anything decisive during this championship battle between Norris & Piastri being decided on the track and without resorting to the pit wall with the championship finale kicks off at the COTA on Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to team tensions

After the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs concluded, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a fresh start. The British driver was likely fully conscious of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel against Piastri, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“If you fault me for just going an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to overtake that led to their vehicles making contact.

The remark appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “Should you stop attempting an available gap that exists then you cease to be a true racer” justification he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with the French champion in Japan in 1990, securing him the championship.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him through the first corner while Norris did try to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he made against his McLaren teammate as he went through. That itself was a result of him touching the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in front of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was forbidden by team protocols for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal the squad to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics and impartiality under scrutiny

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race against each other and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas when establishing rules over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now includes bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there remains the issue of perception.

Of most import for the championship, with six meetings remaining, 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. Which is when the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It will reach to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase a bit more. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, during this dual battle, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the other impression from all this is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (though a great achievement diminished by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Racing purity against squad control

Yet having drivers competing for the title looking to the pitwall to decide matters appears unsightly. Their contest ought to be determined on track. Luck and destiny will have roles, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to ascertain whether they need to intervene and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The examination will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Previously, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

No one wants to see a title constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. When asked if he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

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