🔗 Share this article

McLaren along with Formula One would benefit from anything decisive in the championship battle involving Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved on the track rather than without resorting to the pit wall with the championship finale kicks off this weekend at COTA on Friday.

Marina Bay race fallout leads to team tensions

With the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs concluded, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly more than aware of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight with the Australian, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined Senna's iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going an inside move of a big gap then you should not be in F1,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go for a gap that exists you are no longer a racing driver” defence he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the championship.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit is similar, the wording marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague during the pass. This incident stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, notably, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; the implication being the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris ought to be told to return the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that in any cases of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to step in on his behalf.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now covers misfortune, strategy and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Of most import to the title race, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their perspectives might split from the team's stance. That is when their friendly rapport between the two may – finally – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come a point where minor points count,” commented Mercedes team principal Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I guess the elbows are going to come out further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Audience expectations and title consequences

For spectators, 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 alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for themselves and it has paid off. They clinched their tenth team championship in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and in Andrea Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who truly aims to do the right thing.

Racing purity against team management

However, with racers in a championship fight appealing to the team to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition should be decided through racing. Luck and destiny will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that each contentious incident will be pored over by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it risks potentially making a difference that could be critical. Previously, following the team's decision their drivers swap places in Italy because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the shadow of concern of favouritism also emerges.

Team perspective and future challenges

No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated because it may be considered that fairness attempts were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we discussed a number of things,” he said post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left to do their cramming, so it may be better now to simply close the books and withdraw from the fray.