Lando Norris as Ayrton Senna and Oscar Piastri as Prost? No, however McLaren needs to pray title is settled on track
McLaren along with Formula One would benefit from any conclusive outcome in the title fight involving Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri being decided through on-track action rather than without reference to the pit wall as the title run-in kicks off this weekend at Circuit of the Americas starting Friday.
Marina Bay race aftermath leads to internal strain
After the Marina Bay event’s doubtless extensive and stressful post-race analyses concluded, the Woking-based squad is aiming for a fresh start. Norris was almost certainly fully conscious about the historical parallels regarding his retort toward his upset colleague during the previous grand prix weekend. During an intense title fight against Piastri, that Norris invoked one of Ayrton Senna’s well-known quotes did not go unnoticed yet the occurrence that provoked his comment was of an entirely different nature to those that defined the Brazilian’s iconic battles.
“If you fault me for just going an inside move through an opening then you should not be in F1,” Norris said regarding his first-lap move to overtake which resulted in the cars colliding.
The remark seemed to echo the Brazilian legend's “If you no longer go for a gap which is there then you cease to be a racing driver” defence he provided to the racing knight after he ploughed into Alain Prost at Suzuka back in 1990, securing him the championship.
Similar spirit yet distinct situations
While the spirit is similar, the phrasing is where the similarities end. The late champion confessed he had no intent of letting Prost to defeat him at turn one whereas Norris did try to make his pass cleanly at the Marina Bay circuit. Indeed, it was a perfectly valid effort which received no penalty even with the glancing blow he had with his team colleague during the pass. This incident stemmed from him touching the car driven by Verstappen ahead of him.
The Australian responded angrily and, notably, instantly stated that Norris's position gain was “unfair”; the implication being the two teammates clashing was forbidden by team protocols of engagement and Norris ought to be told to give back the place he had made. The team refused, but it was indicative that in any cases of contention, both will promptly appeal the squad to intervene in their favor.
Squad management and impartiality under scrutiny
This comes naturally from McLaren's commendable approach to allow their racers compete against each other and to try to maintain strict fairness. Quite apart from creating complex dilemmas in setting precedents over what constitutes fair or unfair – under these conditions, now covers bad luck, strategy and on-track occurrences such as in Singapore – there remains the issue of perception.
Of most import for the championship, six races left, Piastri is ahead of Norris by twenty-two points, there is what each driver perceives as fair and when their perspectives might split with that of the McLaren pitwall. That is when the amicable relationship between the two could eventually – become a little bit more the iconic rivalry.
“It will reach a point where minor points count,” said Mercedes team principal Wolff after Singapore. “Then calculations will begin and back-calculate and I suppose aggression will increase a bit more. That's when it begins to become thrilling.”
Viewer desires and championship implications
For spectators, during this dual battle, getting interesting will probably be welcomed as an on-track confrontation instead of a data-driven decision of circumstances. Not least because in Formula One the alternative perception from these events isn't very inspiring.
To be fair, McLaren are making appropriate choices for their interests with successful results. They secured their tenth team championship in Singapore (though a great achievement diminished by the fuss prompted by their drivers' clash) and with Stella as team principal they have an ethical and principled leader who truly aims to do the right thing.
Racing purity versus team management
However, with racers competing for the title looking to the pitwall for resolutions appears unsightly. Their competition should be decided through racing. Chance and fate will have roles, yet preferable to allow them just battle freely 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 subsequently resolved afterwards behind closed doors.
The examination will intensify with every occurrence it risks possibly affecting outcomes that could be critical. Already, following the team's decision their drivers swap places at Monza due to Norris experiencing a delayed stop and Piastri believing he was treated unfairly regarding tactics in Budapest, where Norris won, the shadow of concern about bias also emerges.
Squad viewpoint and future challenges
No one wants to witness a championship endlessly debated over perceived that fairness attempts had not been balanced. When asked if he felt the team had acted correctly by both drivers, Piastri responded that they did, but mentioned that it was an ever-evolving approach.
“There’s been some difficult situations and we discussed various aspects,” he said after Singapore. “However finally it's educational with the whole team.”
Six races stay. McLaren have little wriggle room left for last-minute adjustments, so it may be better now to simply stop analyzing and step back from the fray.
