Lando Norris compared to Ayrton Senna versus Piastri as Prost? No, however McLaren needs to pray title gets decided on track

The British racing team and Formula One would benefit from anything decisive during this title fight involving Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri getting resolved through on-track action rather than without resorting to the pit wall with the championship finale begins this weekend at COTA starting Friday.

Singapore Grand Prix aftermath leads to internal strain

After the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and tense debriefs dealt with, the Woking-based squad will be hoping for a fresh start. Norris was almost certainly fully conscious of the historical context of his riposte to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested title fight against Piastri, his reference to a famous Senna well-known quotes was lost on no one but the incident which triggered his statement differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.

“If you fault me for just going on the inside through an opening then you don't belong in Formula One,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.

His comment seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists then you cease to be a racing driver” justification he gave to the racing knight following his collision with the French champion in Japan in 1990, securing him the championship.

Similar spirit yet distinct situations

While the spirit remains comparable, the wording marks where parallels stop. Senna later admitted he had no intent to allow Prost beat him at turn one whereas Norris attempted to execute a clean overtake in Singapore. Indeed, his maneuver was legitimate which received no penalty despite the minor contact he made against his team colleague as he went through. This incident stemmed from him clipping the car driven by Verstappen in front of him.

Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden by team protocols for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. McLaren did not do so, yet it demonstrated that during disputes of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to step in on his behalf.

Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny

This comes naturally of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents about what defines fair or unfair – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there is the question regarding opinions.

Of most import for the championship, with six meetings remaining, Piastri is ahead of Norris by 22 points, each racer's view exists on fairness and when their opinion may diverge from the team's stance. Which is when their friendly rapport between the two may – finally – turn somewhat into Senna-Prost.

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

Viewer desires and championship implications

For spectators, during this dual battle, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration regarding incidents. Especially since for F1 the other impression from these events is not particularly rousing.

To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves with successful results. They secured their tenth team championship in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they possess a moral and principled leader who truly aims to act correctly.

Racing purity versus team management

Yet having drivers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest ought to be determined through racing. Luck and destiny will play their part, but better to let them just battle freely and observe outcomes naturally, than the impression that every disputed moment will be analyzed intensely by the team to ascertain whether they need to intervene and subsequently resolved later in private.

The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it risks possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Previously, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza because Norris had endured a delayed stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern of favouritism also emerges.

Team perspective and upcoming tests

Nobody desires to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. Questioned whether he felt the team had managed to do right toward both racers, Piastri responded that they did, 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 post-race. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”

Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and withdraw from the fray.