Lando Norris compared to Ayrton Senna versus Oscar Piastri as Alain Prost? No, but McLaren must hope championship gets decided through racing

The British racing team along with F1 could do with anything decisive in the title fight between Norris and Piastri getting resolved on the track rather than without resorting to the pit wall as the title run-in begins at the Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to internal strain

With the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and stressful debriefs dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious about the historical parallels of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to overtake that led to the cars colliding.

His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion in Japan in 1990, ensuring he took the title.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

Although the attitude remains comparable, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he had no intent of letting Prost beat him at turn one whereas Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he made against his McLaren teammate as he went through. That itself 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's position gain seemed unjust; the implication being their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris should be instructed to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that during disputes of contention, each would quickly ask the squad to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics and fairness being examined

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another 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 covers misfortune, tactical calls and racing incidents such as in Singapore – 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 as fair and at what point their opinion may diverge with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when the amicable relationship between the two could eventually – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.

“It’s going to come to a situation where minor points count,” commented Mercedes boss Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase a bit more. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, during this dual battle, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of an on-track confrontation instead of a data-driven decision of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the alternative perception from these events is not particularly rousing.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making the correct decisions for their interests with successful results. They clinched their tenth team championship at Marina Bay (though a great achievement diminished by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and in Andrea Stella as squad leader they possess a moral and principled leader who truly aims to act correctly.

Sporting integrity against squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight appealing to the team for resolutions is unedifying. Their contest should be decided through racing. Chance and fate will play their part, but better to let them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to determine if they need to intervene and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Previously, following the team's decision for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern about bias also looms.

Team perspective and future challenges

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri said he believed they had, but noted that it was an ever-evolving approach.

“We've had several difficult situations and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he said after Singapore. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and step back from the fray.