Norris as Senna and Piastri as Alain Prost? No, however McLaren must hope title is settled through racing
The British racing team along with F1 would benefit from anything decisive in the title fight involving Lando Norris & Piastri getting resolved on the track and without reference to the pit wall with the title run-in kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.
Singapore Grand Prix aftermath prompts internal strain
With the Marina Bay event’s undoubtedly thorough and tense post-race analyses concluded, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a fresh start. The British driver was almost certainly fully conscious of the historical context regarding his retort to his aggrieved teammate at the last 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 that provoked his comment differed completely to those that defined the Brazilian’s great rivalries.
“Should you criticize me for just going on the inside of a big gap then you don't belong in Formula One,” stated Norris regarding his first-lap move to pass which resulted in the cars colliding.
His comment seemed to echo Senna’s “Should you stop attempting for a gap that exists then you cease to be a true racer” defence he gave to the racing knight after he ploughed into Alain Prost in Japan back in 1990, securing him the championship.
Parallel mindset yet distinct situations
Although the attitude is similar, the wording is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he never intended to allow Prost to defeat him at turn one while 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 McLaren teammate during the pass. That itself was a result of him clipping the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.
Piastri reacted furiously and, significantly, immediately declared that Norris gaining the place was “unfair”; suggesting that the two teammates clashing was forbidden under McLaren’s rules for racing and Norris ought to be told to give back the position he gained. The team refused, but it was indicative that in any cases between them, each would quickly ask to the team to step in in their favor.
Squad management and impartiality being examined
This is part and parcel of McLaren’s laudable efforts to allow their racers compete against each other and strive to be as scrupulously fair. Aside from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents about what defines just or unjust – which, under these auspices, now includes bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences like in Marina Bay – there remains the issue regarding opinions.
Most crucially to the title race, six races left, Piastri leads Norris by 22 points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and when their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. Which is when the amicable relationship among them may – finally – turn somewhat into the iconic rivalry.
“It will reach to a situation where a few points will matter,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and re-calculations and I suppose aggression will increase further. That's when it begins to get interesting.”
Viewer desires and championship implications
For spectators, in what is a two-horse race, increased excitement will probably be welcomed in the form of a track duel instead of a spreadsheet-based arbitration of circumstances. Especially since in Formula One the other impression from all this isn't very inspiring.
To be fair, McLaren is taking the correct decisions for their interests with successful results. They clinched 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 possess a moral and principled leader who genuinely wants to act correctly.
Racing purity versus squad control
However, with racers in a championship fight looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their contest ought to be determined through racing. Luck and destiny will have roles, but better to let them simply go at it and see how fortune falls, than the impression that each contentious incident will be pored over by the squad to determine if they need to intervene and then cleared up afterwards behind closed doors.
The scrutiny will increase and each time it happens it is in danger of potentially making a difference which might prove decisive. Previously, following the team's decision for position swaps in Italy due to Norris experiencing a slow pit stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly with the strategy call at Hungary, where Norris won, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.
Team perspective and upcoming tests
No one wants to see a title constantly disputed over perceived that the efforts to be fair were unequal. When asked if he felt the team had managed to do right by both drivers, Piastri said that they did, but noted it's a developing process.
“We've had several difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he stated after Singapore. “However finally it’s a learning process for the entire squad.”
Six races stay. The team has minimal room for error to do their cramming, thus perhaps wiser to just stop analyzing and withdraw from the conflict.
