🔗 Share this article

McLaren along with F1 would benefit from anything decisive in the title fight involving Norris & Piastri being decided through on-track action and without resorting to the pit wall with the championship finale kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and tense post-race analyses dealt with, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a fresh start. Norris was likely more than aware about the historical parallels of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense championship duel against Piastri, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes was lost on no one yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move through an opening then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to pass which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment appeared to paraphrase the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with the French champion at Suzuka in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

Although the attitude is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent of letting Prost beat him at turn one while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he had with his team colleague as he went through. That itself stemmed from him clipping the car of Max Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was verboten under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris ought to be told to return the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that in any cases between them, each would quickly ask to the team to intervene in their favor.

Squad management and fairness under scrutiny

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete one another and strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules about what defines fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now covers bad luck, tactical calls and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there remains the issue regarding opinions.

Most crucially for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when the amicable relationship among them may – finally – become a little bit more Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come to a situation where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes team principal Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I guess aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as a track duel rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since for F1 the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren is taking appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Racing purity against squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined 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 analyzed intensely by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will increase with every occurrence it risks potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Already, 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 with the strategy call in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to see a title constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri said he believed they had, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“There’s been some challenging moments and we’ve spoken about various aspects,” he stated post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and withdraw from the fray.