Norris as Senna versus Oscar Piastri as Alain Prost? No, but the team must hope championship gets decided on track

The British racing team along with F1 could do with anything decisive during this championship battle involving Norris and Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without reference to the pit wall with the championship finale begins at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath leads to internal strain

After the Singapore Grand Prix’s undoubtedly thorough and tense post-race analyses dealt with, McLaren is aiming for a reset. The British driver was likely more than aware about the historical parallels of his riposte toward his upset colleague during the previous grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel with the Australian, his reference to a famous Senna well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence which triggered his statement was of an entirely different nature to those that defined Senna's great rivalries.

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

The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists then you cease to be a true racer” justification he provided to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the championship.

Parallel mindset yet distinct situations

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he never intended of letting Prost beat him through the first corner whereas Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he made against his team colleague during the pass. This incident stemmed from him clipping the Red Bull driven by Verstappen ahead of him.

The Australian responded angrily and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; suggesting that 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, but it was indicative that in any cases between them, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene on his behalf.

Squad management and fairness being examined

This is part and parcel from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and strive to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes bad luck, tactical calls and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception.

Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and when their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when their friendly rapport among them could eventually – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It’s going to come a point where minor points count,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I guess aggression will increase further. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”

Viewer desires and title consequences

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, 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 isn't very inspiring.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests and it has paid off. They secured their tenth team championship in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed by the controversy from their drivers' clash) and with Stella as squad leader they have an ethical and upright commander who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Racing purity against team management

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team to decide matters is unedifying. Their competition ought to be determined through racing. Luck and destiny will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to ascertain whether they need to intervene and then cleared up later in private.

The examination will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Previously, after the team made for position swaps in Italy because Norris had endured a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the spectre of a fear of favouritism also looms.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

No one wants to witness a championship constantly disputed because it may be considered that the efforts to be fair had not been balanced. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly toward both racers, Piastri said that they did, but mentioned it's a developing process.

“We've had several challenging moments and we discussed a number of things,” he said post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. The team has minimal wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply close the books and withdraw from the fray.