Norris compared to Senna versus Oscar Piastri as Prost? No, however McLaren needs to pray championship is settled through racing

McLaren and F1 could do with anything decisive in the championship battle involving Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri being decided on the track rather than without reference to the pit wall as the title run-in kicks off at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath prompts internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and tense debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. The British driver was likely more than aware about the historical parallels regarding his retort toward his upset colleague during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense championship duel with the Australian, that Norris invoked a famous Senna well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined Senna's iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going on the inside of a big gap then you should not be in F1,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment appeared to paraphrase Senna’s “If you no longer go for a gap that exists you are no longer a true racer” defence he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the title.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

While the spirit remains comparable, the phrasing marks where parallels stop. The late champion confessed he had no intent to allow Prost to defeat him through the first corner while Norris did try to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he made against his McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself was a result of him touching 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; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules of engagement and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that during disputes between them, both will promptly appeal the squad to intervene in their favor.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete one another and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from tying some torturous knots when establishing rules about what defines just or unjust – under these conditions, now includes bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue of perception.

Most crucially for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists as fair and at what point their opinion may diverge 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 will reach a point where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Toto Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and re-calculations and I suppose the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”

Audience expectations and championship implications

For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, getting interesting will likely be appreciated as a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since for F1 the alternative perception from these events isn't very inspiring.

Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success diminished by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.

Sporting integrity versus squad control

Yet having drivers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest ought to be determined on track. Chance and fate will have roles, but better to let them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the team to determine if they need to intervene and subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.

The scrutiny will intensify with every occurrence it is in danger of potentially making a difference that could be critical. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza due to Norris experiencing 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 emerges.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but noted it's a developing process.

“There’s been some difficult situations and we’ve spoken about a number of things,” he said post-race. “But ultimately it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. 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.