The British racing team along with F1 would benefit from any conclusive outcome in the title fight between Lando Norris & Piastri being decided on the track and without resorting to the pit wall as the championship finale kicks off at the Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.
After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful debriefs dealt with, McLaren will be hoping for a reset. The British driver was likely fully conscious of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate during the previous grand prix weekend. In a fiercely contested championship duel against Piastri, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s most famous sentiments did not go unnoticed but the incident that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.
“Should you criticize me for simply attempting an inside move through an opening then you should not be in Formula One,” stated Norris of his opening-lap attempt to pass which resulted in their vehicles making contact.
His comment seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go for a gap which is there then you cease to be a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into the French champion at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the championship.
Although the attitude is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. Senna later admitted he never intended of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one whereas Norris attempted to make his pass cleanly in Singapore. In fact, it was a perfectly valid effort that went unpenalised despite the minor contact he made against his McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself stemmed from him clipping the car of Max Verstappen in front of him.
Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; the implication being their collision was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to give back the place he had made. McLaren did not do so, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal to the team to intervene on his behalf.
This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to let their drivers race one another and to try to maintain strict fairness. Aside from tying some torturous knots in setting precedents over what constitutes just or unjust – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, strategy and racing incidents like in Marina Bay – there is the question of perception.
Most crucially to the title race, with six meetings remaining, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives on fairness and at what point their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. Which is when their friendly rapport among them may – finally – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.
“It will reach a point where minor points count,” commented Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff post-race. “Then they’ll start to calculate and back-calculate and I suppose the elbows are going to come out a bit more. That’s when it starts to become thrilling.”
For the audience, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel rather than a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the other impression from all this isn't very inspiring.
Honestly speaking, McLaren are making appropriate choices for themselves and it has paid off. They clinched their 10th constructors’ title in Singapore (though a great achievement overshadowed by the controversy from the Norris-Piastri moment) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and upright commander who genuinely wants to do the right thing.
However, with racers competing for the title appealing to the team for resolutions is unedifying. Their competition should be decided on track. Luck and destiny will play their part, yet preferable to allow them simply go at it and observe outcomes naturally, rather than the sense that every disputed moment will be pored over by the squad to ascertain whether intervention is needed and subsequently resolved later in private.
The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it is in danger of possibly affecting outcomes which might prove decisive. Previously, after the team made for position swaps at Monza due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri feeling he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris triumphed, the shadow of concern about bias also looms.
No one wants to witness a championship constantly disputed over perceived that fairness attempts were unequal. When asked if he believed the squad had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri responded he believed they had, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.
“There’s been some challenging moments and we discussed a number of things,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it’s a learning process with the whole team.”
Six races stay. The team has minimal wriggle room left to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser now to simply close the books and withdraw from the conflict.
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