Lando Norris compared to Senna versus Oscar Piastri as Prost? Not exactly, however McLaren needs to pray championship gets decided through racing

McLaren and F1 would benefit from anything decisive during this title fight between Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved through on-track action and without resorting to team orders as the title run-in begins this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.

Marina Bay race aftermath prompts internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses concluded, McLaren will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was likely fully conscious of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous race weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel against Piastri, his reference to a famous Senna most famous sentiments was lost on no one but the incident that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature to those that defined Senna's iconic battles.

“Should you criticize me for simply attempting on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in F1,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in their vehicles making contact.

His comment seemed to echo Senna’s “Should you stop attempting for a gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he gave to Sir Jackie Stewart following his collision with Alain Prost in Japan in 1990, ensuring he took the championship.

Similar spirit but different circumstances

While the spirit is similar, the wording marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he never intended to allow Prost to defeat him at turn one while Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised even with the glancing blow he made against his McLaren teammate 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, significantly, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules 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 between them, both will promptly appeal to the team to step in in their favor.

Team dynamics and impartiality being examined

This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete one another and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents over what constitutes fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, strategy and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception.

Of most import for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and when their perspectives might split from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport among them may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

“It will reach to a situation where a few points will matter,” commented Mercedes boss Wolff post-race. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I guess the elbows are going to come out further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”

Viewer desires and championship implications

For the audience, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will likely be appreciated in the form of a track duel instead of a data-driven decision regarding incidents. Especially since in Formula One the other impression from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for their interests and it has paid off. They secured their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (albeit a brilliant success overshadowed 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 do the right thing.

Sporting integrity against team management

However, with racers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions is unedifying. Their contest should be decided through racing. Chance and fate will play their part, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely and see how fortune falls, 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 intensify with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Already, after the team made their drivers swap places in Italy due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri believing he had been hard done by regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.

Squad viewpoint and future challenges

No one wants to witness a championship constantly disputed because it may be considered that fairness attempts were unequal. Questioned whether he believed the squad had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded 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 said after Singapore. “However finally it's educational for the entire squad.”

Six meetings remain. McLaren have little wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser now to simply close the books and step back from the conflict.