🔗 Share this article Norris as Senna versus Piastri likened to Prost? Not exactly, however McLaren needs to pray championship is settled on track The British racing team along with F1 could do with any conclusive outcome during this title fight between Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri being decided on the track and without resorting to team orders with the championship finale begins at the COTA on Friday. Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to team tensions With the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs dealt with, McLaren is aiming for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort toward his upset colleague during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight against Piastri, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely from incidents characterizing Senna's great rivalries. “If you fault me for just going on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in Formula One,” Norris said of his opening-lap attempt to pass that led to their vehicles making contact. His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “If you no longer go an available gap that exists you are no longer a racing driver” defence he provided to the racing knight following his collision with Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, ensuring he took the championship. Similar spirit but different circumstances While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one while Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague as he went through. This incident was a result of him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen in front of him. The Australian responded angrily and, notably, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place seemed unjust; suggesting that their collision was forbidden under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. The team refused, yet it demonstrated that during disputes of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene in their favor. Team dynamics and fairness being examined This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Aside from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now covers misfortune, strategy and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception. Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads 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 the amicable relationship between the two may – finally – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry. “It’s going to come to a situation where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes team principal Wolff after Singapore. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase further. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.” Viewer desires and title consequences For the audience, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation rather than a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Not least because in Formula One the other impression from these events is not particularly rousing. Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They secured their 10th constructors’ title at Marina Bay (though a great achievement overshadowed by the fuss prompted by the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly. Sporting integrity against squad control Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions 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 squad to ascertain whether they need to intervene and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors. The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Previously, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he had been hard done by regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern of favouritism also emerges. Team perspective and upcoming tests Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach. “There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he said after Singapore. “However finally it’s a learning process for the entire squad.” Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply close the books and withdraw from the conflict.